All I Have
by StrawberryTenTen
Summary: After moving to CastleRock, Lily Levantine thinks that life can only get worse. Little did she know that she would go through a journey that would change her and her life forever. TeddyxOC, Slash later. -Complete-
1. Prologue

**A/N: I love this movie and the idea's been stuck in my head for about a week so I decided to give it a try. (shrugs) I know you're probably tired of all the 'girl joins gang' stories, but I hope this story is different than the others.**

**Disclaimer: It's an awesome movie/book but alas, I was born about 9 years after the movie came out so I couldn't possibly own it. XD**

**Prologue: Introduction and a New House**

Hey, my name is Lily Rose Levantine. I'm twelve years old, but I'll be thirteen in a few short months. I have long dusty brown hair that I usually keep down and greenish grey eyes. I'm a bit on the short side, but I'm pretty much you're average pre-teen.

I've lived in Evergreen, Colorado all my life, but my small family is currently in the process of moving. I really don't know why we have to move _just_ so my parents can be closer to some family friends. It makes no sense to me. But anyway, as I was saying, we're moving to Castle Rock, Oregon.

Needless to say, I'm not too pleased.

"Mom, do we _have_ to move all the way to Oregon?"

"Don't worry sweetie, I'm sure you'll meet some friends and then you'll love it in no time." I wasn't looking at her, but I could practically see the fake smile on her face.

"Yeah right..." I muttered under my breath. I knew she didn't really care.

Once my mom was facing foward again, I turned to look at my sister and see how she was holding up. I smiled softly as I watched her move a bit in her sleep. Angeline Rena Levantine. Nine years old, beautiful, and my little sister. Her short dark brown hair framed her face perfectly. After a minute she opened her hazel eyes and smiled when she saw me.

"Hey sis, are we there yet?" She asked quietly as she woke up. I turned toward my dad.

"Are we?" He smiled.

"Just about so hang in there a little bit longer." I couldn't help but smile. My dad was the only one of my parents who genuinely cared about me.

I suppose I should explain.

You see, when I was about four years old, I had been playing outside when I wandered over the the small forest near our yard. Next thing I knew, I slipped and tumbled down a hill, muddy and slick from rain the previous night and I passed out.

I must've landed a bad way, because when I woke up, I was in a hospital watching my mother cry endlessly while screaming something about my legs. I had then looked at my legs and didn't notice anything different. So, confused, I got out of the chair in the waiting room and started walking over to comfort my mom.

That's when I realised what she ment.

Not three seconds later, sharp pains went shooting up and down my legs and down I fell onto the floor with my mom becoming more of a wreck. Later on, after the doctors had looked at my legs and checked a few things, they told my parents that the fall severely damaged my legs and I was lucky to have been able to stand at all.

Over time, because of the fall, my leg bones hadn't strengthened as much as they should've. So, to this day I can't walk for more than a minute without my legs collapsing on me. I've learned to just do the small excersises that I should and avoid standing as much as I can.

Since then, my mom has been different around me. As if the fall had completely changed me as a person. I think that she's just ashamed of me for being wreckless and falling down the hill in the first place. I don't get it. I just want her to see that I'm still her daughter. She just doesn't want to.

My dad, on the other hand, still treats me the same. In fact, I think he's treated me even better since that day. I'm glad.

Angeline has always treated me like a normal girl. She likes to think that one day, mom will truely love me again. I personally don't think so, but it's nice to dream.

"We're here." I heard my dad proudly say.

I looked out the window, and sure enough, we were now driving through the town to our new house. Once we found it and parked in the driveway, Angel immediantly jumped out of the car and stretched her legs from being cramped in the car so long.

She looked at me for a minute and I understood what she was thinking. She felt bad because I couldn't exactly do the same. I shook my head and smiled.

"Don't worry about me, go inside and pick rooms for you and me." She smiled and nodded as she disapeared through the now opened door.

I waited patiently and sure enough, my dad walked up to my door and lifted me out of the car, carrying me into the house. As we disapeared inside, I could've sworn I saw a concerned look on my mom's face.

**A/N: I hope that was good for my first try at a Stand By Me Fanfic. Don't worry, the boys will come into play in the next chapter. I already have the next chapter written, but I'm just waiting for you guys to give me approval to post it. If I recieve positive comments, I'll post the next chapter, and if I recieve negative comments, then I'll delete the story altogether.**


	2. First Meeting

**A/N: Well, just to let you know, I didn't like the way I had written this chapter so I started all over again XD Anyway, thank you for the lovely reviews )**

**Congrats to XxxxxMrs.CoreyFeldmanxxxxX for getting the first review! D (and such a long name to type...XD)**

**By the way, in response to your review, GwennyDear (mah bestest buddeh, Victo-sempai 3) it's an awesome and funny movie XD I sent a link to the movie on YouTube for you D**

**Disclaimer: Me don't own Stand By Me. Nor Edgar Allan Poe's fantasticly written poem 'The Raven.'.**

**Claimer: Obviously, I made Lily and her family up out of thin air. So don't steal my OC's, it's not cool.**

**Chapter 1: First Meeting**

By nightfall, I was exhausted.

Since we managed to get here in the morning, we had the entire day to unload and unpack. I guess I should give you a quick review of the house before I go into any detail.

There's the small area once you walk in with a staricase to your right and the family room to your left. If you walk forward for a few seconds, you're in the kitchen. If you go up the stairs and down the hallway, there are three bedrooms, two on the left and one on the right. The one on the right is for my parents, the one nearest to the stairs is mine and the last one is for Angel. Lastly, at the end of the hall is a bathroom and the door to the attic.

When we were picking the house, I purposely requested that my room be on the second floor because climbing up and down stairs is perfect excersise for me. My room is small, but considering that I need everything in my reach on a count of my legs, it's perfect for me.

Anyway, we spent the rest of the morning unloading from the car and truck, and the entire afternoon into the night unpacking and getting settled in. After we had dinner, dad carried me to my bedroom and here I am today. I finally finished unpacking my clothes and put them in my small dresser and layed on my bed, sighing. What a day. It makes me unbelievably thankful for the fact that it's summer and I don't have to go to school.

I stared at the clock, which read nine-thirty pm, until I heard a knock at my door.

"Tis some visitor tapping at my chamber door, only this and nothing more." I recited from Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Raven'. Angel stepped inside, as customary to my response, smiling.

"Hey sis. I have a question." She said sitting on my bed next to my feet.

"Let me guess, you want to know the state bird so you can look it up in the library and try to find it tomorrow?" She blinked.

"How did you know?" She asked, suprised. I laughed a bit.

"You _always_ ask that when we go somewhere outside Colorado. It's a Western Meadowlark, by the way." She smiled again.

"Thanks." She yawned and got up. "I'm going to bed, see you tomorrow." She gave me a hug and stepped out.

"Sweet dreams Angel." I called after her.

"Sweet dreams sis!" She called back. Our nightly routine always managed to cheer me up.

I grabbed a nightshirt and shorts and got under the blanket, turning off the light. I really need to get some sleep...

--The Next Day--

"Lil?" My dad poked his head through the opening of my door. I turned away from the book I was reading and faced him.

"Yes?"

"Do you mind watching Angel while she's playing outside? I'm going to the grocery store and your mother's busy right now." I marked my place and closed my book.

"Of course I'll watch her." I said smiling a bit.

When we got to the stairs, I felt the urge to walk.

"Dad, is it okay if I try walking down the stairs?" He looked at me uneasily.

"You sure?" I nodded.

"Set me down please." He did as told and stood close as I grasped the railing, already feeling the oncoming pain in my legs.

I breathed in deeply and braced myself for the wave of unimaginable pain that would come in a few seconds. Sure enough, my legs then felt like they were on fire. I squeezed the railing and slowly made my way down the first step. My dad followed my every move.

"Are you okay? Any pain?"

"It hurts...but I think I can make it down another step or two." He nodded slowly and said no more.

Again, I took a deep breath and stepped down the the second step. That was it, I couldn't take the pain anymore. I lost control of my legs and planted myself on the step, panting a bit as the pain disapeared slowly. My dad immediantly took over and picked me up, carrying me the rest of the way to the outside porch and set me down in a chair.

"You did good today, I'm proud of you." He gave me an encouraging smile as he started to leave. "I'll be back later." I nodded as I watched him drive off.

I looked around the yard until I spotted Angel, sitting amongst flowers near the driveway.

"Be careful Angel, don't get to close to the driveway!" I called out to her. She looked up and nodded to me, going back to her business.

Once that was taken care of, I proceeded to open my book and continue reading until about an hour later when Angel ran up to me.

"Sis, there's a boy here, he syas he lives nearby." I closed my book, marking my place once more, and turned to look around her.

Sure enough, there was a brown-haired, scrawny-looking boy standing in front of the house, waiting for approval to step inside.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Gordie Lachance. You?"

"Lily Levantine." I answered, then turned to Angel. "Go tell mom, okay?" She nodded and ran inside. Gordie came up to stand next to me.

"So I heard you came from out of state. Where're you from?" He asked politely.

"Evergreen, Colorado. So, you lived here all your life?" He was about to answer when mom came outside, following an excited Angel.

"Why hello, and who might you be?" Mom asked with what I could recognize as fake sweetness in her voice. The kind she reserved for people she just met.

"Gordie Lachance, I live down the road."

"How nice, I look forward to meeting your parents. Perhaps, tomorrow?" I noticed a particular look on Gordie's face when mom mentioned his parents.

"I'll ask them when I go back." He managed to force out. Something was definately wrong.

"Lovely. Oh, I am sorry, but I must return inside now. It was a pleasure meeting you." She said as she disapeared back inside the house.

"Sis, I'm going inside to put these flowers in a vase." She said holding up a bunch of flowers. I smiled.

"Of course, go on."

She smiled again at me and went back inside, leaving me and Gordie alone. I turned towards him.

"You don't have a good relationship with your parents, do you?" He had that same look on his face.

"You could say that." He said. "You don't seem to like your mom that much." He observed.

"You could say that." I recited then smirked.

"So...Do you wanna meet my friends?" I paused.

"Well, I'd love to, but I don't think anyone unpacked my stupid wheelchair yet..." He looked suprised.

"You can't walk?" I tried to think of a way to put it.

"Well, if I try hard enough and ignore the pain, I can walk a couple of steps, but I can't stand or walk for more than fifteen-seconds. Twenty if I'm lucky."

"In other words, it's something with your legs."

"Basically."

"That sucks. How do you get around when you don't have your wheelchair?"

"Usually my dad carries me around, since my mom doesn't care enough to even accept my presence." I answered as I turned my attention to a small bumble bee nearby.

"What if I carried you?" I looked at him again and thought a minute.

"I suppose it would work. Hold on a second." I turned to the door. "Angel!" I called. Within seconds, she was at my side.

"Yeah?"

"Tell mom I'm hanging out with Gordie for a bit. And if dad comes home before I do tell him too okay?" Her eyes sparkled.

"Sure! Have fun!" I nodded and smiled as she ran off.

She was always trying to get me to make more friends, so anytime I go to hang out with someone, she gets really excited for me. She's a sweetie, she really is.

A few minutes later, Gordie was walking down a road with me latched onto his back.

"Sorry that you have to carry me." I said sadly.

"It's nothing. Besides, it's only until you get your wheelchair out."

"Hey Gordie! Who's the girl on your back?" I heard another boy's voice call out. "She your girlfriend?" I blushed a bit at the assumption.

"Shut up, Teddy!" Gordie easily replied.

When I looked up to see the boy, I swear my heart nearly stopped.

**A/N: I hope that was okay and that I got Gordie's personality right. XD It's just that, he appears to me as a person who's willing to help others no matter what. Sorry if he's OOC, just let me know so I can change it, okay? Constructive critisism is welcome, but be gentle with me, I have low self-esteem. XD I suppose you can already guess who Lily's love-intrest is gonna be. P**


	3. New Feeling

**A/N: Dudettes I'm so sorry this took so long XD (I'm assuming that all the people reading this story are girls XP) Well, I'm kinda unsure about how I put the real characters, so please help me out.**

**Disclaimer: Stand By Me does not belong to me.**

**Claimer: However, Lily does, infact, belong to me considering **_**I**_** made her up. Don't steal.**

**Chapter 2: New Feeling**

"I don't shut up, I grow up! And when I look at you, I throw up! Bleh!" The other retorted ad started to laugh, which, I'll be honest, scared the living hell outta me and stopped my blush directed at him.

"So seriously, who is she and why are you carryin' her?" The boy, who I assumed was Teddy, asked. Gordie put me down on a nearby rock to sit, I thanked him before turning to the other.

"Lily Levantine. My wheelchair isn't unpacked yet so Gordie here had to carry me." Another boy stepped foward.

"You can't-"

"And before you ask," I cut him off. "I _can_ walk, but I can only do it for less than a minute before I have to stop. Accident when I was four." I shrugged like it was no big deal. And to me, it wasn't.

The unknown boy was silent. Apparently, that _was_ his question as I predicted. Silence followed for a minute before I spoke up again.

"Well, I introduced myself, what about you? Got any names?" I smirked and noticed a fourth boy in the background.

"Teddy Duchamp."

"Chris Chambers." The unknown boy who had asked me about my condition replied.

"Vern Tessio." The boy from the background answered.

"And you already know me." Gordie said. I smiled.

"Nice to meet you all."

I switched my undivided attention to a bird nearby that looked suspiciously like a Western Meadowlark. I would have to remember to tell Angel later. The others, besides Gordie that is, seemed to be a bit uncomfortable around me.

"Don't let me ruin your fun. Do what you guys normally do. I'll be fine on my own." They all shook their heads.

"We're not letting you sit out in the open alone. Not with Ace around and the fact that you can't even walk away." Chris answered as everybody nodded.

"And who, may I ask, is Ace?"

"The biggest bastard you'll ever meet." Was all Chris had to say for me to get the picture.

I nodded, deciding that staying with them would be best and made a mental note to tell Angel later not to wander off alone. Speaking of Angel, here she comes.

"Sis, dad's home. He said we're having lunch in a few minutes so he told me to get you back home." I nodded and turned toward the boys.

"If someone doesn't mind carrying me." Before Gordie could blink, Teddy stepped up.

"I will!"

He seemed eager...Too eager. I tried to remember anything from about ten minutes ago and it finally dawned on me, and the others it seemed as well because they made faces. I almost forgot that I was wearing a skirt. Not a short one, but a knee-length skirt, and when Gordie was carrying me piggy-back style, it must have ridden up. I made a disgusted face and smoothed my skirt out. Nobody had really realised it until just now, excluding Teddy of course. I can't believe I actually let myself blush when I saw him.

"Pervert." I said under my breath.

"I think_ I _would be better off carrying her..." Chris trailed off. Teddy rolled his eyes.

"I'll be good." He said sarcastically. Vern gave him an unsure look.

Before Teddy could do anything though, Gordie picked me up bridal-style and followed Angel down the road. We laughed quietly when we heard Teddy yell something along the lines of, 'I wasn't gonna do anything, I swear!'.

--

Once we got back to my new home, I had him put me down on the steps just as dad came out. They exchanged introductions before Gordie decided to go back to his friends.

"See ya around." We smiled at each other.

"You bet." I replied as he turned to walk off.

As I sat at the table eating lunch I couldn't stop smiling, and neither could Angel it seemed. This is awesome. People to hang out with, how cool!

I looked up from my food and paused, my smile disapearing and a blank expression replacing it. My mom quickly switched her line of vision to her plate and didn't look anywhere else for the remainder of lunch time. My mom had been staring at me with a weird cross between what I thought was calmness and...sincerity?

Damn. Talk about a mood killer, and my day was going so well...

--

**A/N: I am so sorry this was so short! My mom's been in the hospital and my dad works the night shift so I had to stay at granma and granpa's for the week. Ick. I love 'em but it friggen sucks that I can't continue my chapters at their house.**


	4. First Month

**A/N: C'mon people, I need reviews! Besodes, you should feel lucky that this chapter is even done! It's 2 in the morning as I type this and the basic idea for this chapter wouldn't shut the fck up until I decided to force myself out of bed and write it. So whatever, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the movie/book or it's characters and storyline.**

**Claimer: I own Lily. Please use with permission.**

**Chapter 3: First Month**

Well, a month has now passed since I moved to CastleRock and I have gotten to know the boys better.

Chris is apparently the leader of the group. It really isn't that hard to see why. He's obviously a born leader. He comes from a bad family but tends to not talk about it. He's also the kid brother to Eyeball, a member of the Cobras, a gang of older teens. I also can't help but notice the close bond between him and Gordie. It's sweet at how good friends they are, it really is. Chris is a tough kid but he's really nice when you're friendly towards him.

Gordie has become a very close friend of mine in the past month. As I predicted, he doesn't have a good relationship with his parents. His older brother, Denny, died a couple of months ago and even when he was alive his parents paid next to no attention to Gordie. Every time I think about it, it makes me sick to my stomach. Gordie's also an awesome storyteller. That kid's gonna make a name for himself someday, I just know it. He's a really nice guy.

Teddy is one of, no, _the_ craziest kid I've ever met in my life. His laugh still scares me, and I fear that I'll never get used to hearing it. His father is in the nut house, but Teddy's really sensitive about it. I haven't heard much about his mother except that Mrs. Duchamp is mentally stable and is raising Teddy pretty well. Also, apparently, Mr. Duchamp stormed the beach at Normandy. I gotta admit, that's pretty cool. I'll probably never admit this to anyone else, but I really want to be his best friend. Someone for him to rely on, y'know?

Vern is the type of kid that is always afraid. But he's also a sweet boy who only means well. Me and him get along pretty well and we can go on for hours about things if we had the chance. But sometimes, it's just amazing that he's made it this far school-wise. Not that he's stupid, no. It's just that he doesn't have quite the right amount of sense is all. He's also the younger brother of a Cobra. I don't really hear that much about his other family though.

Me? I've been doing fine lately. But it is just so damn _hot_ during the summer here! More than once I've spent half the day in my room, in nothing but my undies and bra, trying not to move so that I won't overheat myself just by reaching out to get a book. It can be really unbearable sometimes, but all in all, I'm enjoying my time here.

I've been making excellent progress with my walking, I'm proud to say. I can now officially stand for a little over thirty seconds and I can walk four or five steps! It's an amazing feeling! I'm also very happy about it because the boys often help me when I practice. It's heartwarming that I have four more people to cheer me on as I make progress.

You'll also be amazed to hear that Teddy doesn't make that many perverted statements anymore! I know, what a shocker! He still let's a remark slip every now and again, but not as much as he used to. When I first met him, he would say perverted things every time an oppertunity came up. It was really annoying and I got into the habit of slapping him every time he said things like that, so I'm assuming that he's learned his lesson.

Me and Angel are currently sitting in my room discussing various subjects. You may have noticed that I always refer to her as Angel. It's just because I don't feel right calling her Angeline. I rarely ever call her by her birthname, I'm not really sure why though. My dad opened the door and stepped in slightly.

"You're friends are here, should I let them in?"

"Yes please." I nodded and he disapeared again.

A few seconds after I heard him walk down the stairs, I heard a bunch of feet coming towards my room at a rapid pace. That would mean that the boys were really excited about something, or that they were just eager to see me. I chalked it up to the latter one, as nothing interesting has been happening recently. As soon as I made that mental note, they let themselves in.

"Hey Lily. Angeline." Gordie gestured at my sister who was sitting across from me. She smiled and nodded.

"So what's up?" I asked as they either sat on the floor or leaned against a wall.

"Nothing much. Just figured we would pop in and say hi." Chris explained. I nodded and waited for anyone else to say something interesting.

"So...I heard that a new bike model is coming out." Vern said, attempting to break the silence.

"And this intrests me...how?" Teddy raised an eyebrow as he said this. He's always snapping at Vern. It really annoys me.

"I don't see _you_ trying to strike a conversation." I said glaring at him. He glared at me in turn. The staring contest was interupted by Angel.

"I'm gonna go help mom in the kitchen." She said getting up. As she got to the door she turned towards me. "Do you need anything?"

"No thanks." I shook my head.

"You guys?" She asked the boys. They shook their heads as well and watched as she stepped out, closing the door a bit as she did.

"She's been acting...weird lately." Gordie said after a few seconds.

"So it's not just me then?" I replied with a sigh.

It was true. Over the past week, Angel just wasn't herself. She had lost that certain spark and I have every intention of finding out why as soon I can. Yet another leisurely silence came upon us.

"I'm think about getting a haircut soon." I said, desperately trying to get a conversation going.

"Really? How short?" Vern asked, seeming genuinely interested.

"A few inches." I shrugged, putting a hand at my shoulder to indicate a length.

"It'd look good on you." Gordie said, half into the conversation and half spacing out.

"Thanks." I said in a similar monotone voice.

God I hate this silence.

After a little bit, Vern left, saying that he had to run an errand for his mother. Soon after, Chris and Teddy left to go try and find something interesting to use as a topic for later discussion. This left me and Gordie, said boy now sitting in Angel's usual spot. We talked about nothing in particular, but then he said something that makes me want to scream and tear my hair out in frustration.

"Do you like Teddy?" I gave him a confused look.

"Of course I do, he's my friend." He shook his head.

"No, I mean as more than a friend." I blinked.

"Why do you ask that?" He shrugged.

"I'm not sure. It's just that you always seem to be more interested in him than anyone else." I was silent as I mulled this over. I sighed.

"I'm not sure how to answer you. When I come up with something I'll let you know." He nodded in understanding and then got up.

"I'm gonna go find Chris and Teddy. I'll meet up with you tomorrow morning." I nodded and looked at the time. It was now a little past five-thirty PM.

"Usual spot on my porch?" He nodded back and left, waving goodbye.

I sat in the same spot for almost an hour, thinking about what Gordie had said.

Did I like Teddy like that?

--

**A/N: Yeah I know, it's short and it sucks. The only reason that I didn't make it longer is 'cause I've been writting this for an hour, it's now three in the morning, my brain is half asleep, and I can't come up with a better way to end this chapter. Please review. If you're gonna flame, be gentle with me.**


	5. Comatose

**A/N: Well, I only got 1 review for the chapter before this and that was a week after I posted it :( I'm starting to lose my point in posting. Please review! I need reviews to live!**

**Disclaimer: Stand By Me are not belong to me. :(**

**Claimer: Lily and the Levantines are belong to me. :)**

**Chapter 4: Comatose**

That night, I had trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. That small conversation between me and Gordie kept replaying over and over in my head. I sighed and turned to face the wall.

Just when I had reached a state of unconsiousness, my eyes snapped open. I sat up and tried to keep my heart beating at a normal pace. Something wasn't right. Something was amiss. My eyes widened as realization dawned on me.

"Angel..."

--

**Meanwhile...(Third Person POV)**

Gordie sat up and looked around the room. Same wall color, same floor, same window, same Chris fast asleep in a makeshift bed on said floor during one of their usual sleepovers. Nothing was out of place.

But something just didn't _feel_ right.

Gordie tried to pass the feeling off as worry for Chris. Earlier, Chris had appeared at his window asking to stay the night and sporting a new bruise on his face.

No. This feeling was just...different.

Gordie sat there for a minute trying to figure everything out. He heard Chris get up and sit next to him, a look of worry mixed with tiredness on his face.

"What's the matter?" He asked, rubbing the sand out of his eyes.

"Something's wrong." Gordie decided. He got up and started to put his shoes and jacket on. "I gotta go check on Lil, just in case." Chris, now alert, got up.

"I'm coming with you." He said putting his own shoes and jacket on.

After a few minutes they found themselves walking down the cold sidewalk towards Lily's house in the dead of night. Chris didn't question Gordie, but he did question if something was truely wrong or not, as he had started to get a feeling as well.

They had finally reached the Levantine residence and stood there for a few seconds or a few minutes. Neither could really tell how long, but they were about to turn back when they heard it. The shrill screaming that belonged only to a young girl turning young teenager.

Lily.

They ran up to the door, knocking furiously. The screaming continued, only now, Lily's parents were running out of their bedroom, the mother running down to answer the door and the father running to see what the screaming was about.

"What are you boys doing here this time of night?" Mrs. Levantine questioned.

"Is everything okay?" Gordie all but screamed.

None of them had time to answer before Mr. Levantine came running down the stairs with an unconsious Angeline in his arms. He ran past them to get to the car, putting Angeline in the passenger's seat and starting the engine. He didn't seem to have to tell his wife what was happening, for she started crying and yelled out to him to be careful and to call with news as soon as possible.

The two boys watched helplessly as the car sped off into the night. They turned to Mrs. Levantine who was trying to calm down. As she wiped her face, she gazed at them.

"Please..." She said weakly. "Make sure...Lily's alright..." She then disapeared into the kitchen, leaving the boys speechless.

--

**Back to Lily's POV**

Why?

Why did this happen? Everything was going so great for us. She was finally able to start over.

Why did this happen to her? She doesn't deserve this.

I sat helplessly in Angel's room, trying to get myself together. I was so worried that I had forgotten to use my wheelchair. I had simply forced myself to run into Angel's room where I had found her collapsed on the floor, gripping where her heart is.

I looked over to the doorway where to my suprise, I found Gordie and Chris standing there, looking at me worriedly. They slowly made their way towards me and sat on the floor beside me.

"What happened?" Chris asked in a whisper. I sighed softly and kept my eyes on the floor.

"Angel...isn't like other kids her age." I started, briefly noting how strained my voice sounded. They waited patiently for me to continue.

"Nobody really knows exactly what's wrong with her...It's...something with her heart..." I fought back tears as I explained, recalling other times in life when events like tonight's happened.

"Every now and then it just...stops." Tears freely fell ad I didn't bother hiding them. "Usually it starts up again before anything else in her can stop but...they don't think that she'll survive past her tenth birthday..."

I gripped onto Gordie's shirt and cried. For how long, I have no idea, but my two friends didn't seem to mind. Instead Chris rubbed my back a little and whispered soothing words along with Gordie, who held me while I cried.

At some point during the night, I stopped crying. I straightened myself up and wiped my eyes. I looked at my two friends with tired eyes, smiling a little.

"Thank you." I managed to say with a cracked voice. They smiled back at me. I laughed a bit.

"Mind helping me back into my room?" They smiled again and helped me up, supporting me on either side while we walked the short distance.

Once I was sitting comfortably in my bed, I felt my eyes start to close.

"You two should go and get some sleep." I yawned. "I'm sorry I kept you up." I barely made out the shape of Gordie shaking his head.

"It's alright. Go to sleep."

"We'll see you in the morning okay?" Chris added. I nodded slightly and felt my mind go blank.

--

**A/N: Yup. Dramatic, sad, and a bit short. Just how I intended it to be. XD Anyway, I hope you enjoyed either way and didn't think it was OOC. Please review!**


	6. Long and Harsh

**A/N: Oh, wow, thanks oh so much for the two reviews! It really made my day, you won't believe how much it made me happy! :D Thanks for the support, and thanks to you guys, this is now my most reviewed and longest story! It's almost the most favorited in second place by 2 faves, but it has most alerts with 3! It also has 64 hits so far! Keep up the support, I'm gonna need it. XD**

**But yeah, major angst in this chapter. But something good'll come out of it, I swear! XD Victoria, you'll probably recognize a certain day of the month in this chapter. Vita-parodies, lol. XD**

**Warning, there is 'language' in this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Stand By Me no belong to me.**

**Claimer: The Levantines are belong to me.**

**Chapter 5: Long and Harsh**

Life is a bitch. Life is a cruel, twisted, fucking bitch. And all because of it, Angel, _my_ _Angel_ was gone forever. Just gone, with no warning.

She didn't deserve to die. She didn't deserve any of this crap. She didn't deserve the pain and torture she went through. But even so, I have to be grateful for her death. She was finally, after all this time, just finally free.

Angel went home. That's all I can explain it as.

Even though I knew in my heart that she had to go, I still twitch in anger and resentment towards life itself whenever I glance at her small coffin. I suppose it can't be helped. I'll always feel pain whenever I think of Angel. In a moment of calmness, I glanced away from the coffin and to her gravestone.

_Angeline Rena Levantine_

_May 7 1950 - July 13 1959_

_Beloved Daughter, Loved Sister, _

_An Angel Who Earned Her Wings_

I smiled slightly as I read the final words. I couldn't have said it better myself. My horrible excuse for a smile disapeared when I remembered something. Angel had been acting weird in the past week...My eyes widened when I realised something. She knew. She knew it all along.

Angel knew she was going to die.

My stomach lurches when I think about it, and I have to turn away and wheel myself to the comforting shade of a nearby tree. Nobody really minded though, because hey, it was a funeral and I was her sister. It was only to be expected. However, someone _did_ mind and followed me to stand by my side. Actually, it suprised me when I saw who it was.

Teddy stood in front of me, a calm yet sad look on his normally crazed face. What mostly made me suprised though, was the fact that he was actually dressed up in something nice. Well, if he came to Angel's funeral in anything below that level of 'dressed-up-niceness' I probably would've ended up strangling him. I don't care who it is, if you come to my sister's funeral dressed in anything but formal, you _will_ pay.

"Hey." He said in a quiet voice, once again suprising me.

"Hey." I replied in an equally monotone voice.

Turning, I glanced at Gordie, Chris, and Vern standing by the coffin looking at us, but turning away at my glance. I'd guess that Gordie was responsible for this one. I'd have to remember to hunt him down and ask why he did this later. I turned back to Teddy, and shocking me even more (If that was possible), he put a hand on my shoulder and gave it a light comforting squeeze. Now I don't know why I did this, but in response, I laid my hand on his to keep him from taking it off.

I didn't let go until the funeral was over.

--

It's been about four days. I'm not exactly sure though, 'cause keeping track of the calander sorta slipped out of my mind. I had no idea what day it was and for a few moments this morning, I didn't even know what month it was.

I think the guys put me on suicide-watch or something. Every day from morning to late afternoon there would be one, two, three, or sometimes all of them were there. Just sitting there, just watching me.

I haven't really moved that much from my current spot since I got back home God knows how many days ago from the funeral. In fact for the most part, I just laid there, ocassionally switing my position to become a bit more comfortable. For days, I just laid here in bed not bothering to change out of my night-clothes, just watching they sky through my window.

After Chris' shift had ended for today, he patted me on the shoulder in goodbye and left. Gordie had come in a few minutes later and insted of sitting on the other end of the room opposite me, he sat at the foot of my bed, watching me. This got my attention. I slowly stretched my body and got into a sitting position, my muscles sore from the limited movement. After I got used to the position, I switched again, this time sitting there leaning against his shoulder with my legs dangling off my bed.

We just stayed like that for a few minutes, silent. Finally I sat up straight and looked at him with tired eyes.

"Why?" I asked in a broken and hoarse voice. He shook his head and rubbed my shoulder.

"I don't know." And that's all we said before he left an hour later.

That night, I slept peacefully for the first time since her death.

--

**A/N: I know, I killed Angel, I'm so horrible! I didn't want to, but in order for things to progress, sacrifices have to be made! Now that the angst is mostly done, the TeddyxLily-shipping-experience can begin! :D**


	7. A New Life is Born

A/N: Yeah, sorry I haven't been updating in the past week. My mom's in the hospital again and my computer is on the verge of crashing from a bunch of spy ware viruses and shit so I'm using my dad's computer to type this. Enjoy

**Disclaimer: I don't own Stand By Me**

**Claimer: I own all of my made up characters, living and dead.**

**Chapter 6: A New Life is Born**

The next morning, I woke up feeling refreshed. It was weird, as I had not felt this way for about a week or so. I opened my eyes and shrieked, flailing about and knocking someone to the ground.

"Ouch. Damn Lily, I thought you'd recognize me." A male voice said in an annoyed voice.

I sat up and looked to the ground, sighing in relief.

"Serves you right. Don't surprise me like that." I said, equally as annoyed to Teddy.

Apparently, sometime during the morning, the boys decided it was Teddy's turn to check up on me. After Teddy heard from Gordie that I had actually moved and spoken, he decided to watch me extra closely. And by that, I mean he decided it would be best to lean over me, inches from my face until I woke up. When I started to flail, I had accidentally pushed him, sending him tripping backwards onto the floor.

So anyway, here he was standing at my side after we both calmed down.

"So what'd you want?"

"Nothing. What, I can't check up on my good buddy?" He said in a taunting tone. I gave him a blank look and swung my legs so that they were dangling over the side of my bed.

"Whatever. Now can you please leave so I can change?" Surprisingly enough, he obeyed. I rolled my eyes at him and changed into a summer dress, considering how hot it was at the moment.

--

Later, I found myself sitting at the top of the staircase with Teddy and Gordie, who had joined us when he raced to my house after hearing my faint screaming from across the road.

I turned when I saw movement and saw mom and dad walking to the door. He turned to face me.

"We're going out for a bit, but we'll be back by three. Will you be alright?" He asked. I nodded.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. See you later." He nodded and off they went.

I frowned. The main thing I hate about Angel dying is that neither of my parents smile anymore. Well, my mom never really smiled from the start, but still. It's weird not seeing my dad smile at all for the past weeks or so. I got up and slid down the banister to sit outside.

"I'm gonna sit outside. You guys coming?" I asked, even though I didn't really have to. Whenever the guys are around, they follow me like pets.

"I would but I gotta go. My mom needs me to run errands. See you around." And with that, Teddy walked off.

And then there were two.

We just sat there for a few minutes. It was as if Gordie was waiting for me to soak up some sunshine before we talked. It was odd, but I was grateful for the few minutes I sat there, enjoying sunlight as if it were years instead of days that I stopped getting out of bed.

I took that opportunity and used it to think about the past month that I've lived in Castle Rock. It's a small, mostly quiet town and not much goes on. I smiled slightly. '_But I love it anyway…_' I thought.

I turned to face Gordie and watched him for a bit. He seemed lost in thought, thinking about something important. I waited patiently for him to 'come back to Earth', in Teddy's words. His face was blank for so long, I was afraid that I'd completely lost him. To my relief, he chose that moment to come back and faced me.

"Sorry, did you say something?" He asked, finally realizing that he'd been gone. I shook my head.

"Are you okay?" I asked carefully. He smiled and shook his head.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I wasn't convinced but I let it slide.

--

Later that day, my parents came home as promised and dropped the bomb on me.

"We're…what?" I asked, not really believing what they just said.

"We're spending the rest of the summer at your Aunt Whitney's in Washington. We'll be back at the end of August, so you don't have to worry about not seeing your friends ever again." My dad tried to sound positive about it, but with Angel's death, both of them just seemed to lose the will to live.

"But…but we just got here!" I tried to fight it, but in my heart, I already knew it was final.

"Lily, just relax, we'll have fun." Again, he tried to sound positive. I sighed and looked to the ground.

"When do we leave?" I asked, reluctantly.

"Tomorrow afternoon."

--

I called Gordie and told him to get everyone and come to my house. He obediently did so and here we are on my porch.

"You're what?!" They all yelled at the same time.

"That's what _I_ said!" I replied, annoyed, then sighed. "But I won't be gone forever, just till the end of summer."

"But that kills everything! No summer, no fun!" Teddy seemed satisfied with his explanation.

"I know…but…Hey, I promise that when I get back, I'll have a surprise for all of you." This got their attention.

"What did you have in mind exactly?" Chris asked, truly confused. I smiled a bit and winked before turning around and rolling my chair away.

"It's a secret!" I said in a singsong voice as I disappeared back into my house, leaving them in more confusion. I wondered to myself why Gordie seemed pre-occupied with something, or someone, else.

I laughed quietly to myself as I packed, trying my best to ignore Teddy screaming something about 'abandoning my unit during a desperate struggle'.

--

Time Skip

--

I grinned as I looked at the calendar. There's only one more hour until we leave to go home. Not only were the guys going to be surprised, but also my parents seem to be doing better. This is going to be great! My grin grew wider as I realized that I now referred to Castle Rock as my home.

"Lil, are you packed and ready?" I heard dad call up the stairs.

"Yeah dad. All set!" I called back.

"We're going to leave a bit earlier so I'll go load the car." He said, coming into my room and taking my bag.

"I'll be down in a minute." I said as he walked out.

Look out school, 'cause here I come.

--

**A/N: I know it's short, but I really wanted to get this part over with since I have more plans. Nipah, be patient until the next chapter and review! :D**


	8. Crazy First Day Back

A/N: Well my dear friends, this is the part I've been waiting to write for a good solid week now. And now…finally…finally finally…it's here! I really hope you enjoy! :D By the way, thank you to a reviewer who has given me advice on the rushed-death of Angel. You know who you are and thanks for being honest! Keep up the reviews guys, cause that's all I'm writing for. XD

**Disclaimer: I do not own Stand By Me**

**Claimer: I own all of my created characters, living and dead. Just because Angel is dead, does not mean you can use her without my permission.**

**Chapter 7: Crazy First Day Back**

Well, here I am. I took a deep breath as I entered the building. I had arrived home last night so I wasn't able to see the guys. Good. I wanted them to be extra surprised.

I nervously smiled at the principal who was showing me around. Nobody else was in the halls, save for a few who were still getting books out of their lockers. It wasn't first period, but rather a period in which twenty minutes were spent in homeroom, gathering stuff for the day.

After the tour was done, the nice principal started to lead me toward the room in which I would spend first period. All the while, the butterflies in my stomach multiplied by the thousand every second that passed. It wasn't long before I was downright shaking with excitement and nervousness. Principal Thompson noticed this as we neared the room and looked worriedly at me.

"Will you be alright?" He asked. I managed to smile.

"Yeah. I'm just…excited, and a bit nervous." He offered an encouraging smile.

"I'm sure you'll do fine. People will be asking you to sit with them at lunch in no time." This made me feel a bit better, as corny as it sounded to me. I nodded and took another breath, checking my pulse as we stood in front of the door.

'Still alive…' I reassured myself.

I was ready to collapse from all the excitement, but kept myself together. I managed to pull myself together and I surprised myself by actually managing to stop my shaking. I gave Principal Thompson one last look before the door opened. He smiled at me and gave me a small push before he left.

I turned my attention to the teacher, who had opened the door. She was a middle-aged woman with dark red hair, tied up into a bun and wore thin-rimmed glasses that made her eyes seem sharper. She gave me a small smile and beckoned me inside. Against my wishes, I forced myself inside.

"Class, we have a new student. Please welcome Miss Lily Levantine." She said in a soft voice.

I forced my eyes to look at the class of students. I prevented myself from screaming while running out of the room like an idiot and maintained a calm composure.

I almost laughed when I spotted Vern in the small crowd. He was the only one of my friends who was in my first period class. I was relieved and I calmed down a hell of a lot more than I would have if I had to face all four of them at the same time.

Back to Vern. His eyes seemed to almost fall right out of his sockets and his jaw was almost literally on the desk. What made him so shocked, you ask? Well, it might have something to do with the fact that I was standing in front of the class.

I was standing in front of the class after I had walked in. I had walked into the classroom after I followed Principal-guy throughout the school.

I was walking.

"Lily, we are looking forward to getting to know you. You may have a seat next to Vern Tessio over there." She said pointing at my dumbstruck friend. I gave said friend a small smile as I walked over and sat down in the desk next to him.

The entire period, which was English, taught by Mrs. Fayton, passed uneventfully. That is, if you count Vern gaping at me the entire period, uneventful. I almost burst out laughing every few minutes, but kept myself calm.

After English class ended, Vern followed me like an owl with its prey as I walked out of the classroom.

"Lily! Y-You…you're…when did…huh?" Poor guy looked like he was about the faint. I laughed a bit and smiled brightly.

"Did you forget my promise already? I said I would have a surprise." He took all of this in and finally smiled.

"Wow…" He breathed. "What class do you have next?" He asked as we walked. I showed him my schedule.

"Alright, so we have the first two periods together. Then all four of us have P.E. Then you have History with Gordie, and right after that is Lunch. Then, you have the last three periods with Teddy and Chris." He explained to me.

"Cool, so I get at least one class with each of you." I noticed.

We got to our destination; Literature Class. I took a seat next to Vern and watched as the teacher walked in. I had a bad feeling about this.

"Class, sit down." He said sternly. "I am Mr. Rondola and I do not tolerate funny-business when class is in session." He said in a sharp voice.

My shoulders sank and my cheery mood dampened a few notches. Well, my feeling was right. I hated this class already.

For the next forty minutes, I sat up straight, took notes, kept my eyes on the teacher, and spoke only when spoken to. I didn't seem to make a negative impression on Mr. Grumpy. Good, because the _last_ thing I want to do is get him pissed off at me.

As we walked out, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I thought that class would never end." I complained as we walked to the gymnasium.

"Well, that's Mr. Rondola for ya." He said, equally as tired from the strict class.

When we arrived, we split up and headed to our designated locker rooms. Me and the other girls in this period were handed uniforms to change into and told to step outside onto the field after we were done. I changed into the forest-green shirt and shorts and followed the other females outside.

Outside, we were told to run around the track a few times and the girl's gym teacher would judge out basic skills based on our performance. On the other side of the field, the boys were waiting for their turn, sitting or standing and watching the girls.

I started to jog alongside the girls, and then started to speed up into a run. To be honest, I was surprising myself by actually running. It was so hard for me to believe that I had managed to learn to walk and run again.

For the entire month of August and part of July that I had spent in Washington, I had forced myself to walk, pushing myself to the limit. The pain and cramps were definitely worth it. I had proven that I could walk just like anyone else, even if it did take a long time to learn again.

It wasn't long before I spotted the gang about twenty feet ahead, sitting on the field. I grinned as I saw Vern excitedly tell them something. I held back a laugh when I saw the way the other three were looking at Vern. It was then that Vern locked eyes with me and fell silent, smiling back at me as I neared closer and closer.

The others noticed him and followed his line of vision. When they saw me, they instantly fell silent and openly gaped at me as I started to pass. I smiled and waved at them. They just stood there, silent as I passed.

For a minute, when I locked eyes with Teddy, the whole world seemed to move in slow motion. Like nothing else was there but him and me. We just stared at each other, not breaking eye contact once. It was awkward, but it felt so…nice. The world then sped up to its correct state of time and I turned to run off along with the other girls.

That was weird.

--

As I walked out of the locker room with my original clothes on, I spotted Gordie, heading towards History.

"Gordie!" I called after him.

He didn't hear me over the crowd and kept walking. I called a couple of more times with no luck. Finally, I took a deep breath and…

"Lachance!" I shouted, behind him by just a few people.

He finally heard me and turned. I caught up with him and walked alongside my friend at a relatively normal pace.

"Lily! How did you…?" He trailed off, clearly excited to see me walking.

"What can I say? I push myself too hard." I shrugged, giving him a smile. "So what's up? What'd you guys do while I was gone?" His cheery expression faltered, but he quickly corrected it.

"_Long_ story. I'll stop by your house after school and tell you all about it." I noticed that he seemed a bit…changed. I shook it off as superstition and continued walking with him to class.

--

When Gordie and me reached a table at Lunch, I was almost tackled to the floor by Chris and Teddy, who hadn't had a chance to talk to me.

After we all calmed down, we ate and chatted idly, as if I'd never been gone and everything was exactly like it was when I left. But like Gordie, the other three seemed a bit changed. I made a mental note to corner Gordie about it later when we were both at my house.

--

The rest of the day went smoothly. Teddy and I never mentioned our little moment during P.E. but I could tell that he was thinking about it like I was.

After school ended, Gordie and me walked the short distance to my house where I would hear the story of a lifetime.

--

A/N: Was that long enough for you? XD Yeah, I was really excited about this chapter and stayed up till 2:30 in the morning typing this up. I'm sure you can guess what made the original four so changed. Please review, nyan.


	9. Just Worried, Nothing More

**A/N: Hey! Okie, so I'm very sorry about the whole 'even though some don't like it, I'm putting in slash anyway' thing. I also apologize to in advance for killing you a little bit more on the inside. I'm also really sorry that this chapter took so long! Family stuff that I'd rather not waste time explaining about. Besides, you don't need to hear about my problems, just enjoy my writing :)**

**Disclaimer: Me no own Stand By Me.**

**Claimer: Me own the Levantines and all made up characters.**

**Chapter 8: Just Worried, Nothing More**

After he was finished, we sat there for a few minutes in silence as I took it all in. I thought over everything and tried not to scream in frustration and fear at certain parts. Gordie waited patiently as he sat in front of me.

Finally, I looked up at him and shoved him hard on the shoulder, my eyes flaring. He was frozen, staring at me in suprise. My temper cooled down instantly and I pulled him into a hug.

"If you're _ever_ put in danger like that again, you tell me right away alright?" I said softly. He relaxed and rubbed my shoulder.

"I promise." He said quietly.

"You're like a brother to me..." I continued. "I don't wanna lose you too." He hugged me back.

I lowered my head, thinking about Angel and her untimely death. Gordie must've been thinking about something too, cause he got really silent and when I pulled back to look at him, he had that faraway look in his eyes. He snapped out of it and looked at me, this time a sad look in his eyes.

"Can you keep a secret?"

--

"So _why_ are we hunting down the others again?" Gordies said, trying to catch up with me as I stalked down the pathway to the treehouse.

"Because, I got a bone to pick with them, that's why." He ran up to my side.

"I thought you said you wouldn't tell!" He panicked, re-thinking his decision to tell me, and sped up so that he was walking in front of me backwards. I rolled my eyes.

"Not that. I would _never_ tell if you didn't want me to." He sighed in relief and slowed his pace, staying by my side.

"Why exactly are we stomping angrily towards them then?" I smiled slyly at him.

"Because, my dear Gordie, there's a guy named Teddy and we have an appointment." He smiled and laughed.

"Does it involve kicking his ass?" I laughed.

"Y'never know."

We took each other's hands and swung our arms back and forth above our heads. Pretty soon, we spotted the other three. I locked my eyes on Teddy as they spotted us. Gordie let me go and whispered into my ear.

"Don't beat him too hard, you might break your hand on his hard head." He joked. I smirked.

"I'll try." I said as I sped my pace up and stood in front of said boy.

"Hey Lily, what's u-" He was cut off as I slapped him clear across the face, a bored expression on my face. He froze and stared at me, concentrating on what just happened.

"What.. the hell." He finally said. Chris and Vern looked on in disbelief.

"If I hear about you train-dodging or any kind of moving-object-dodging ever again, I swear your organs'll be splattered across my wall!" I said angrily. I went over to Chris.

"_Never_ have a gun or any kind of weapon within the vicinity of Gordie, Vern, and especially _him_. As you may already know, it should be illegal for Teddy to be around a gun." I said calmly. I started to walk off with Gordie, when I turned around.

"Oh and by the way Chris, Gordie, il n'est pas le seul l'un qui est français." I said gesturing to Teddy. I turned and walked off, Gordie quickly following behind and probably wondering what I just said.

--

"Lily, c'mon open up!" I heard Gordie call.

"Please, tell me what you said!" Chris continued.

"I wanna_ know_!" Teddy said, obviously frustrated. I sighed and opened my window, leaning out and looking down at my friends.

"Alright, alright don't pop a blood vessel." Teddy glared at that comment, but I ignored it and continued.

"All I said was, 'He is not the only one who is French.'. Gordie told me about that little joke you guys made." I explained. They mulled this over.

"Sorry." Chris said, nervously smiling and rubbing the back of his head. I smiled.

"S'alright. You guys can come up now, I'll go unlock the door." I said, closing my window and going downstairs to unlock my front door.

When I had gotten back, I beat Gordie to the door, shut and locked it. I proceeded up to my room and sitting on my bed staring at the wall for an hour, listening to the guys outside my window. I let the guys in and we talked for about two hours before it was dinner-time. Gordie, Vern, and Teddy said goodbye and left. Chris stayed behind for a few minutes. We were sitting on the porch steps looking at the setting sun when he asked me.

"Are you and Gordie...y'know..together?" I stared at him for a minute before I burst out laughing. He looked at me in confusion until I calmed down.

"No, Chris. Me and Gordie are never in the next thousand years ever gonna be romantically involved." I answered truthfully, looking at him with a glimmer in my eyes.

"Besides," I continued. "Why would we date each other when we both like other people?" I saw him perk up a bit.

"Gordie, he likes someone?" I nodded and turned to look at the disapearing sun. We were quiet for a few minutes.

"Me and Gordie have a lot in common, y'know." He looked at me, waiting for me to continue. I got up and started towards the door. I paused and turned to look him in the eyes.

"We both like a person who's too stupid to even realize it." I said, smiling sadly at him and turning around. "Goodnight Chris." I said before walking into the house and shutting the door after Chris started walking down the road.

--

**A/N: Very short, I know. Betcha didn't know Lily speaks fluent French didja? ;) Yeah, since I'm taking French classes at school I figured I'd incorperate that into the story. I used a translator for what she said but I can pronounce it perfectly XD Hope you enjoyed. Oh, and , if ya want, you can stop reading, I won't make you.**


	10. What is Normal Anyway?

**A/N: Well, I'm pretty disapointed that I only got 1 review on the kast chapter, but whatever, I'm still gonna write this story whether you like it or not. Consider this my Christmas gift to you all! Happy Holidays!**

**Disclaimer: Me no own Stand By Me.**

**Claimer: Me own Lily.**

**Chapter 9: What is Normal Anyway?**

I slowly got up and stretched. It's been a week since me and Chris had our little heart-to-heart talk and things seem to have been getting back to normal...or whatever the hell my so-called 'average life' should be called. I think Teddy's gonna hold that slap over my head for the rest of my life.

I looked at the calendar and smiled as I got dressed. Only a few more days until Chris' birthday. Alright, here's how it goes: Chris is the oldest of us. His birthday's on September 17th. Teddy is next on October 1st, and I come in at a close third on October 30th. Gordie is next on January 6th and Vern is the youngest on February 11th.

I walked downstairs with my schoolbag in hand and grabbed an apple off the kitchen counter.

"See ya dad." I said, walking out the door.

"Have fun at school!" He called after me. I walked until I spotted Gordie and Vern waiting for me at the corner.

"Mornin' guys!" I smiled brightly.

"Hey Lil." Vern shared my enthusiasm.

"You're in a good mood this morning." Gordie noticed. I took a bite out of my apple.

"Chris' birthday is in a few days, that means I have an excuse to make cookies!" I explained, taking another bite.

"Cool, mind if I help?" He asked, trying to sound non-chalant. I smiled knowingly.

"Not at all, my friend. So what're you doing for Chris, Vern?"

"I don't know...Gordie, you have an idea?" Gordie thought for a bit.

"Hm, well Chris is a bit pissed that his deck of cards is fading and falling apart...How about you get him a new one?" Vern smiled, looking happier than ever.

"Yeah, hey thanks Gordie!" I smiled as I finished my apple. A few minutes later, we were at school.

--

I sighed in content as I stretched for P.E. I looked around and spotted the guys across the field. Smiling, I waved to them. They saw me and repeated my gesture. They watched in confusion as a group of girls surrounded me.

"Uh...hi?" Was all I could manage to say.

"Hello." The girl in front giggled a bit. I waited for her to continue.

"So, is it true that you're friends with Teddy Duchamp?"

"Yeah." I was a bit suspicious and got a bad feeling in my stomach.

"Does that mean...you could possibly ask him out for me?" She blushed. I could practically feel my heart drop a few levels. I smiled half-heartedly.

"I'll...see what I can do." I said against my better judgement.

"Fantastic! Thank you so much! I'm in your last class, so I'll see you later?" She smiled brightly. My growing anger toward her resided. She seemed really nice. Who was I to crush her heart just because of my own selfish desires?

"Yeah, sure." I said in a daze.

I watched them walk away, whispering and giggling excitedly to each other, barely seeing them. I waited for my heart to go back to it's original position and saw the guys rushing towards me out of the corner of my eye. I turned and saw their worried expressions.

"What was that about?" Chris asked in his 'tough-guy' tone. I slapped a forced smile on my face and laughed a bit.

"It was nothing!" I barely heard myself talk. 'C'mon Lily, smile smile!' Was all that went through mind.

"But it looks like someone wants to be your girl Teddy." I added slyly with a wink. God, I was making myself sick. Gordie looked at me with a panic-stricken, but knowing look.

"Really? Which one?" Teddy had a smile growing on his face.

"The one woth the dark blonde hair. About the same height as me." I answered honestly.

"Leena? Seriously?" He asked, suprised.

"I guess so. She's in our last class." I continued.

"That's her! Sweet!" He said, jumping in joy. "Leena wants to ask me out!" He sung. To be perfectly honest, I nearly had a heart-attack from all the stress coming at me all at once.

"Man, you're so lucky! Leena renalds doesn't settle for just anyone!" Vern said. That was it for me, I had to get away.

"Well, I gotta run. See ya later!" I said, quickly turning around and running off. I could still feel Gordie's sad and worried gaze on me.

--

After that incident, I went straight to the nurse and got there just in time for me to puke up my stomach into a nearby trashcan. My dad was called and he came to pick me up. When we were walking down the hall to get out, for a few seconds, I saw the guys worriedly watch me walk by.

When we got home, I went up to my room and locked my door shut. I then spent the last of the school day staring at the wall. The moment the clock got to two-fourty-one in the afternoon, I heard a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" I asked tiredly.

"C'mon Lil, I know you probably don't wanna talk, but please let us in." I sighed and forced myself up. I unlocked and opened the door. I came face to face with Gordie and Chris.

"Hey." I whispered.

"How're you holding up?" Gordie asked. I sighed.

"I've seen better days." I answered, half-joking. We were silent for a minute before I looked at them again.

"Why is he so stupid?" I asked quietly.

"I don't know Lily, I just don't know." Chris shook his head.

"So...did he...?" I couldn't even finish. Gordie sadly smiled.

"They're going to a movie on Saturday." He answered. Well, at least he was honest. I shrugged.

"Well, might as well deal with it. So was there any homework today?"

"Just to finish that work packet from yesterday in english. Vern didn't mention anything else." I nodded at Chris' explanation.

"Thanks. I'll go get started then. Are you staying for dinner?" They thought it over.

"I'll ask my parents. Not that they'll even care." Gordie answered. Chris shrugged.

"If you don't mind." I smiled a bit.

"No I don't. I'd like it if you stayed."

We went downstairs to ask my parents then waited for Gordie to ask his own. About two and a half hours later, we were seated at the table, silently eating. On the outside, I smiled blankly. On the inside, I was slowly rotting away in despair. Later, as I watched my two friends leave, I did my homework and layed in bed for the rest of the night.

Why can't my life be normal like everyone else at school? But then again, what the hell _is_ normal anyway?

--

As I sifted through my locker the next day, I felt a presence and was soon greeted by an estatic Teddy.

"Hey Lil! You feeling better?"

"Yeah, I feel fine." Jeez, this fake smile of mine was becoming a regular sight.

"Cool, so didja hear about me and Leena?" He asked excitedly.

"Yeah. Congrats, I'm so happy for you." It's a good thing that Teddy's stupid or else he would have definately seen through my corny act.

"Thanks! I gotta go now, but see ya later!"

He walked off along with Leena, who smiled and waved at me. I smiled and waved back. I guess I would just have to learn to like her.

--

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Have a safe holiday and see you next year! ;)**


	11. Dying While I Wait to Die

**A/N: Hey people. Well, I only got 1 review again, and this time it was almost an entire month before that happened. But whatever, 'cause apparently I've got myself a dedicated fan now! ;3 Enjoy and please review.**

**Disclaimer: Please refer to past chapters. Also, I've started to include a song lyric or two from Flyleaf songs, so yeah I don't own them.**

**Claimer: Again, please refer to past chapters.**

**Chapter 10: Dying While I Wait to Die**

In first period, during the last few minutes, Mrs. Fayton let us talk with our friends quietly. Vern had noticed that I was a bit down.

"Hey Lil, what's wrong?" I looked at him and smiled a bit.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong. I guess I'm still a bit tired from being sick yesterday. He didn't seem too convinced but let it go and talked about something else.

"So, I'm guessing that Gordie's gonna be over tonight since Chris' birthday is tomorrow." I remembered that I wanted to make cookies for Chris with Gordie.

"Yeah, I'm gonna have to remind him later."

--

When I stepped outside, I was greeted by one Leena Renalds.

"Hey Lily! Are you feeling better?" She seemed genuinely concerned. I gave her a small smile.

"Yeah, but I'm still a bit tired."

"You can sit out today if you want. I'll tell the teacher." I nodded, gratefully.

"That would be wonderful." She smiled and ran off.

A few minutes later, Leena and I were sitting on the grass, getting to know each other.

"You didn't have to sit out with me, y'know." I said.

"Nah, I didn't want you to feel lonely. Besides, we barely know each other, so I figured we could talk about ourselves." I considered it. I've already lost my mother's love, my sister, and Teddy…What else have I got to lose?

"Sure. Where do you wanna start?"

We talked for the entire period. It turned out that, like me, she wasn't born in Castle Rock. Only instead of another state, she had been born in Finland and moved here with her family when she was three. Apparently, she knew Finnish because her mother still preferred to speak her native language. She wasn't lying either, because when I asked her to demonstrate she spoke perfectly. Not that I know Finnish, but I've heard someone in my family speak it before.

All in all, she turned out to pretty cool. I think it's going to be a lot easier to be around her now. Not that I'm cool with her going out with Teddy, but it'll be easier to handle. At least I know that she won't cheat on him or anything.

At the end of the period, she stayed with me instead of immediately running off to see Teddy. After we changed, she had to go off to English with Teddy and Vern. Once we spotted them, she gave me a big smile.

"Well, I gotta go now, but I'll see you at lunch?"

"Yeah, see ya." She ran to catch up with them. Gordie was at my side so quickly, I almost jumped back when I turned to see him right next to me.

"So, what'd you girls do while you were sitting out?" We walked slowly.

"Nothing really, just got to know each other better. Apparently, she's liked Teddy since the fifth grade." I noted dully.

"Yeah, I thought that was it…She's really nice though."

"Yeah. At least I know that she'll be able to make Teddy happy." I sighed. "So, you still coming over to make cookies today?" I changed the subject.

"Yeah, I'll go home, do my homework and I'll be there around four. That okay with you?"

"It's fine."

We didn't say anything else. I think it was because we were just too exhausted from our own battles with love, that it wiped us out completely. Speaking of which, I would have to remember to force him to confess sooner or later. At least I have a reason not to, the object of my affection is taken. Though I suppose his problem _is_ a tad bigger…

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Even though me and Leena were becoming quite good friends, I still found it incredibly hard to smile for real. Since yesterday, I had pretty much stopped smiling for real. All of my smiles are fake, and it sickens me in a way nothing else can. I barely ate at lunch because of the damn twisting feeling in my stomach.

The second I got home, I made a dash to the bathroom and locked the door, proceeding to puke out everything in my stomach again. Once I was sure I was finished, I flushed the toilet and sat up against the bathtub, wiped out.

I got up after a moment and leaned up against the sink. Brushing my teeth, I looked at the mirror in front of me. I saw a depressed little girl who had nobody to love. I finished rinsing out my mouth and looked again. My reflection glared at me. 'What are you doing? Pull yourself together!', it screamed at me.

I sighed and left the room, heading to my own. I did my homework in a flash and went downstairs to set everything up for when Gordie arrived. About an hour later, he knocked at the door and let himself in after I shouted that he could come in. Then, without another word, we went to work.

As much as I can't believe it, I actually had fun. It was just Gordie and me, two people who understood each other more than any other two people. We talked about anything and everything, laughing when something funny was said or done. When the cookies were out of the oven and cooling down, we sat at the table, just enjoying the moment.

"So, Gordie…"

"Hm?" He looked up at me.

"I don't wanna ruin the mood or anything but…when are gonna, y'know, take action?" He paused, thinking it over.

"I'd love to get it over with tomorrow, but…" I waited for him to continue. He 'pff'ed in annoyance. "In a perfect world…"

"Hn…" I nodded understandingly. "So…anything else going on that I don't know about?" I sipped at some water.

"Not really…By the way, you know that Greek Mythology project Mr. Marvel was talking about?" I nodded.

"Yeah, what about it? Y'need help or something?" He shook his head.

"Nah, I was just wondering who you were doing it on."

"I'm pretty much set on doing a report on Persephone, but I'm not absolutely sure yet."

"Yeah, a lot of the gods I was gonna write about are taken by at least five others." I laughed a bit.

"I was gonna write about Athena, but all throughout the day I heard seven different girls talking about their reports and how they were writing about Athena. I'd much rather be unique." He nodded and another silence came upon us.

"Hey Lil, I don't think you've ever told me your birthday."

I blinked and realized that, in fact, I knew all of their birthdays but never mentioned mine. For some reason, when they told me their birthdays, the subject got switched and mine was forgotten.

"Hm, I guess not. Anyway, it's October 30th." I replied and finished my glass of water. He nodded and smiled.

"Anything in particular that you've had your eye on?" I gave him a bored glare.

"Not really and you better not give me anything Lachance." He mock-pouted.

"Aw, why not?"

"Because," I said. "I already have what I want. A house, two parents, friends, and an education. What else could I ask for?" He smiled and raised an eyebrow at me.

"I think I know the answer to that question." I blushed and scowled.

"It doesn't matter. He's taken so leave it alone." I tried to sound tough, but towards the end my voice got low because I knew that Gordie was right.

After a few more minutes, the cookies were cooled down and we began the process of putting them all on a plate and wrapping it in that weird saran wrap that only sticks to itself. I shook my head in frustration. Honestly, what was the guy thinking when he introduced this?

I found some ribbon and tied it into a bow, tapping it in place on top. Satisfied, we found an empty cabinet and hid it for tomorrow. Gordie stayed until almost dinner-time and left, as eager as I was for tomorrow to come.

--

**QUESTION FROM THE AUTHOR: How and when do you think Gordie's confession to Chris should go? And yeah, it's Chris that Gordie has a crush on and if you didn;t figure that out by now, then well you just haven't been reading the story have you? XD**

**A/N: *Dramatic sigh* Well, I worked hard on this one for like five days on making this. My dad got angry at me for not cleaning my room in like, forever, so all this week when I got home from school, I would do my homework and clean my room until he left, during which I would work for a little bit on this. He works nights, so from four in the afternoon to six the next morning, I'm free to go on the computer and watch TV and just be lazy. XD Anyway, if you're confused, yes Persephone and Athena are in fact from Greek Mythology and Saran Wrap was indeed invented in '53. I did my research so that everything is in the correct time period. Okay, so since I'm beginning to ramble, I'm just gonna wrap this up now. XD Please review.**


	12. Can't Help It

**A/N: It's one in the morning, but I'm not tired yet so I'm doing my best to get this done with. –Sigh- Well, I'm trying.**

**Disclaimer/Claimer: I really don't have the time to explain everything to you people, so refer to the past chapters.**

**Chapter 11 – Can't Help It**

I groaned and stretched my sore muscles as I awoke. I sat up and was confused to find myself on the floor, my pillow and half my blanket with me. I guess I fell out during the night, but I don't understand how I didn't feel it.

Pushing that thought aside, I got up, went through my morning routine, checked to see if the cookies were still there and left a note telling everyone not to eat them should they find them. As I walked out, finishing a piece of orange, I realized that my schedule was exactly the same every day. Maybe I should get a hobby like sewing, or listening to crappy music, or playing with matches…

Shuddering, I slapped on a smile as I walked up to Gordie and Vern. My fake smile fell when I noticed that Gordie's smile was…strange, frantic even. I tilted my heads to the side as a disturbed look took over my face.

"You okay there buddy?" His slightly widened eyes shined with more panic.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" Vern sighed.

"Don't bother, I kept asking him all the way here and he won't say anything else." I sighed with Vern and shrugged.

"Whatever, I'm too tired to focus anyway." We walked the rest of the way in silence.

--

The rest of the school day past by in a blur. At lunch, it was a bit quiet considering Gordie was scarring the living daylights out of everybody. Finally, I snapped.

"You!" I stood up and slammed my hands on the table in front of Gordie. Everyone watched me, unsure of what I was going to do.

"Quite frankly, you're making me nervous. So, freaky face, you're coming with me." I grabbed his sleeve and dragged him off. Once we were in a deserted hallway, I shoved him against a locker.

"What's wrong?" I asked seriously. He paused for a moment, and then sighed.

"I can't go to the party today."

"What do you mean? Did something happen?" Gordie would never not be with his friends unless something serious was going on.

"I just…can't" The look on his face made me heartbroken.

"Gordie…" We stood in silence for a few minutes. I put a hand on his shoulder.

"Take as much time as you need, okay? I'm sure everyone'll understand, sincerely." I said.

"Thanks…I'm gonna go to the nurse." I nodded as he walked off. I stood there for another minute, then sadly walked back to the cafeteria and sat at the table. I poked at my food as the others watched me curiously.

"Well? Where'd Gordie go?" Chris asked, concerned. Without looking up, I answered in a monotonous voice.

"Nurse, he doesn't feel good. I don't think he'll make it to the party later." I sipped what was left of my carton of milk.

"Aw man, this sucks." Chris was obviously disappointed. I didn't really care; since it was technically his fault Gordie was sick to his stomach every time he was with the group.

After school, I ran over to Gordie's house since he left too quickly for me to walk with him. His parents weren't home so I let myself in and ran up to his room, where of course, the door was shut. I knocked.

"Gordie, it's me. Let me in." I said gently.

I waited and was pleased when I heard him unlock the door. I opened it just in time to see him lay back down, his face buried into his pillow. I kneeled on the floor next to him.

"Come on Gordie, look at me…" Nothing.

"Gordie…" This time, he turned his head to face me.

"Talk to me." I simply said.

"About what?" He mumbled.

"Anything you want, man. I'm listening." I assured.

For the next half hour, he ranted on about how love and life wasn't fair and how everyone's going to die eventually anyway. I sat with him, and just listened. I let him get everything out, because nobody knows better than I do that bottling things up can do serious damage. Finally, it seemed he was finished, and he was already looking better than I saw him earlier. He sat back down and sighed.

"Feeling better?" I asked after a few seconds. He nodded.

"Much. Thanks." He looked up and smiled. I smiled back and patted his shoulder.

"Anytime." I looked at the clock. "I gotta get going, or I'll miss the party. You coming?" I got up and stood by the door. After a minute, he stood and flashed a big smile, for real this time.

"You know it."

--

We walked over to the tree house, myself holding the plate of cookies. When we reached the place, everyone else was already there. When Chris spotted us, I could see the relief in his face. The other three also seemed happier when they saw Gordie. This really made it worth not giving up on getting him to come with me.

"Gordie, you're feeling better?" Chris ran up, grinning.

"Yeah, a lot better." He quickly flashed a smile my way. I couldn't help but smile as I put the cookies over on a small table set up under the tree.

For the next hour, we all had a good time, talking and playing card games with the new deck Vern gave Chris. The cookies were shared with everyone (and came out fantastic, if I do say so myself), and Teddy and Leena got her older sister to patch up Chris' school bag.

Pretty soon, it was dinnertime. I invited Chris to have dinner with me; since there was no way on Earth I was going to let him go back to his hell of a house on his birthday. I asked Gordie if his parents were going to be home, and when he said no, I made him tag along with Chris and me.

"See ya!"

I waved to Teddy, Vern, and Leena as they walked home. We reached my house and I informed my parents of the situation. Not wanting my two friends to go hungry, they welcomed them to join us.

After a joyful dinner, I walked outside with them.

"So, I'll see you guys tomorrow or something?" Gordie caught the slight depression in my voice.

"Don't worry, I'll wait it out with you." Chris also remembered that Teddy and Leena were going on a date tomorrow.

"I'll come too." I smiled gratefully.

"I don't know what I'd do without you guys. Thanks." The nodded and we exchanged goodbyes. I watched them walk away.

I went back inside and shut myself in my room. Lying on my bed, I closed my eyes and screamed inside.

Why was this happening? Why couldn't I say anything before Leena showed up? Why is love so complicated? Why the hell did I love him anyway? What's so special about him?

Questions flew in and out of my mind like a flock of birds. I couldn't answer any of them. But why _did_ I love him?

There was just something about him that grabbed me from the start. I was confused and wanted to learn more about him. He was like a complicated, but addicting puzzle. I was determined to solve it, whether it take a day, or fifty years.

I guess I just can't help it.

--

A/N: OMFG! –Dies- This took like, two hours and it's still so short! Ugh.


	13. An Unexpected Friend

**A/N: Hey everyone! I'm depressed that I got only 1 review on the last chapter (Which I worked real damn hard on.) but I'm not gonna let that get to me! I turned 14 this past Sunday and I'm pretty happy that I'm 1 year closer to being legal! XD **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Stand By Me, nor any song lyrics that I include in my chapters.**

**Claimer: I own the Levantines, Leena, and all other characters that I made up.**

**Chapter 12 – An Unexpected Friend**

I sighed for the millionth time that day. It had been almost an entire month since Chris's birthday. Currently, I'm sitting in the corner of the tree house, waiting out Teddy's small party.

I pretended to be sick, and then snuck into the small tree house just before everyone arrived. I honestly have no idea what the hell I'd been thinking when I pulled this little stunt, hence the reason I was sighing so much.

It was seriously painful to watch everyone have fun, especially Teddy along with Leena. Even though that was the case, I continued to watch everyone. It kinda made me happy, seeing them happy. I grimaced as my stomach growled; I was starting to get really hungry, and watching the others eat wasn't helping.

I froze as I heard someone climbing up to the tree house and quickly ducked behind a big box, normally used as a seat. I heard the door open, then close a few seconds later. After whoever it was climbed back down, I peaked out from my hiding place. I looked at what was there, shocked.

Sitting on the floor in front of the door was a small plate of food and a soda. I felt relieved, thankful, and at the same time very frightened.

Someone had seen me sneak up here, and I had no idea who it was.

To be perfectly honest, I was freaking out. It could've been anyone. _Anyone._

--

After I ate and drank what was obviously left for me, I waited for the party to end. I was starting to fall asleep, when finally everyone started to leave after an hour. I waited for a few minutes until I was sure everyone was gone, and then quietly snuck back down.

My muscles were sore from sitting there for about four hours straight, but I ignored the pain for now as I walked back home. As I slowly passed the area near the tree house, I felt like something was out of place, and then froze.

Someone was nearby, watching me.

I turned quickly, but saw nothing. However, I _did_ hear the rustling of leaves from behind a tree a few feet away. I was scared half to death, but stood up straight and made my voice sound tough.

"Alright, whoever you are, come out and face me like a man." I said, loud enough for whomever it was to hear. After a few seconds of silence, a figure stepped out from behind the tree. I stepped back in shock.

"V-Vern?" I couldn't believe my eyes. He gave me an apologetic look.

"Heh, hey Lil." Suddenly, everything clicked. I relaxed and smiled a bit.

"It was you, wasn't it?" He smiled in his good-natured way and nodded. We stayed in an uneasy silence for a bit.

"Thanks." I finally said.

"Yeah, no problem." He replied. After a minute I turned to walk away, but paused.

"Walk me home?" I asked him. He smiled.

"Sure!"

We walked for the few minutes in silence, but a comfortable one. I bid him goodbye and went up to my room, shutting the door behind me and getting to work on the small bit of homework I had. After dinner, I sat on my porch for a few minutes, enjoying the peace and setting sun.

When stars started to appear, I gazed at them with hope that I could find some sort of peace with myself. All in all, I really couldn't go on the way I was. I was miserable and clinging to my last bit of sanity by a thread.

I suddenly felt a sense of security, like a blanket was being wrapped around me in the chilly temperature. I smiled up at the sky and could've sworn I heard familiar laughter in the distance.

"Thank you, Angel."

--

The next morning, I dreaded going to school. All I wanted to do was lie in my safe, warm bed and relax.

Unfortunately, my dreams were crushed when my dad stopped by my room to make sure I was up. I sighed and got up, getting ready for the long day ahead.

Much to my delight, the morning passed by much faster than I expected. By the time lunch came, I was a very happy almost-teenage girl looking forward to going home. I happily ate my lunch and half-listened to the others chat idly.

"So Lil, what do you think?" I looked up, a bit dazed.

"Hm? What was that?" Chris laughed.

"Pay attention girly, I was asking if you would be okay with us throwing a party for your birthday." I whimpered slightly and blushed in embarrassment.

"N-No! Not okay, not okay, as if my birthday wasn't bad enough…" I slumped in my chair in a poor attempt to hide.

"Aw come on. Why not? And what do ya mean by 'as if it wasn't bad enough'?" Teddy demanded. I sighed.

"Well, since it's the day right before Halloween, when I was little everyone would scare me at every opportunity. And instead of a small gift or card, my classmates would fill my desk with all types of candy that I didn't even like. It's because of that that I can't even look at a piece of candy without screaming… I remember a couple of years ago, people kept calling me a witch and teased me about it until I left for home crying. Then came all those awful jokes…" I explained darkly. I shuddered from all the bad memories surrounding my birthday.

"Well it won't be like that this year, I promise." Gordie said, putting a hand on my shoulder. He noticed the pale complexion I acquired and the hollowness of my eyes.

"You gonna be okay?" He asked, worried. I looked up at him and smiled a bit.

"Yeah, I'll be just fine." I felt the color begin to return to my face and smiled more.

In the end, it seemed that whether I liked it or not, they were going to throw a party. At least I could rest easy with the fact that they promised it would have a strict no-Halloween-related-things theme.

--

**A/N: Okie, well I was gonna put this up on my birthday (the 22****nd****) but FF was being totally stupid and wouldn't let me log in! Hope you like it. I feel really sorry for Lily after writing all the things about her birthday. XD**


	14. Much Ado About Falling

**A/N: Hello there everyone! :3 How've all of you been while I've been away from ? I took a small break because of school and family problems but it's all over and settled now, so I'll be writing chapters once more. :] Anyway, enjoy the chapter and please review!**

**Disclaimer: They no belong to me.**

**Claimer: I own any made up character you see in this story.**

**Chapter 13 – Much Ado About Falling**

After I had dinner and did my homework, I sat on my bed reading, when a loud tap at the window nearly gave me a heart-attack. I jumped back and sighed with relief as another tap came, which could only mean that one of my friends just wanted me to open the window. I got up and opened it, looking down and spotting a figure. I squinted my eyes and raised an eyebrow.

"Gordie? That you?" I couldn't see clearly in the darkness of late evening.

"Yeah, can I come in for a minute?" I thought it over.

"It's too late to come through the front door, but in the shed over there's a ladder. Go get it and set it up over here." I instructed.

I saw Gordie's shadowy figure run over to the shed, and a few seconds later, he was back and was unfolding it. Not a minute later, he was climbing up and I was finally able to see his face clearly. I leaned on the window sill and smiled.

"So what's up? You usually don't come out this time of night unless you're going home from my house."

"To be honest, I don't know." He laughed a bit. "Out of nowhere I just wanted to see you." I almost didn't see it, but I saw right through it and frowned.

"What's wrong Gordie?" He gave up and looked down.

"I don't think I can take it anymore." He muttered. I leaned against the windowsill and propped my head up with my hand.

"What do you mean? You're gonna tell him?" He shook his head.

"No. I don't think I can take…" He struggled for a word. "_This. _Just living like this." My eyes widened a bit and my mouth went dry.

"W-What are you saying?" He looked up at me, and I saw nothing but misery.

"I can't." He shook his head and tears fell down his face. My heart skipped a beat and for a second, everything was spinning.

"Don't say that." I shook my head and was trying to continue breathing. "Don't say that." I repeated. He stayed silent as he watched me, his tears continuing to fall. I looked up and glared at him.

"Don't you _dare_ ever say that to me Gordie Lachance, do you hear me? Don't say that."

I tried to control to volume of my voice. I guess I started to look pretty scary, because he looked at me, staring and quite taken aback after I managed to growl that out. He even stopped crying and instead looked afraid. I softened my expression and took his hands in mine.

"Please don't go away." I said, smiling a bit. "I need you…So… don't go away. Okay?" He visibly relaxed and squeezed my hands.

"Okay." He barely whispered. We stayed silent for a few minutes.

"Hey Gordie?"

"Yeah?" He met my eyes.

"If you did end up…going away tonight…" I barely managed to say. "Why did you come to me first?" I didn't want to talk about it, but I had to know. He thought this over.

"I don't really know. I guess I just didn't want to leave without seeing you one last time…" He smiled sadly. "Besides, you're always there for me. It wouldn't be fair to leave without giving you a proper goodnight…I guess…I don't know…I guess that I…I love you… you're like a mother or sister to me…Oh jeez, Lil, I don't know…" He trailed off.

I stared, awed at him. Not sure what else to do, I hugged him. It was a bit awkward because of the windowsill and ladder, but it was comforting to both him and me.

"You can always count on me, and I'll never let you down. Just promise you'll do the same thing as tonight whenever you feel like…going away." I was very uncomfortable talking about 'going away', but it had to be said. He nodded into my shoulder.

"I promise." He said, muffled by my shirt. A few minutes later, he stood up straight.

"I should go home now." He said, all misery gone from his voice. I nodded.

"Get a good night's sleep and relax. You can take your time tomorrow, since it's Saturday, but make sure you call so I know how you're doing, okay?" I know I sounded very mother-like, but I didn't care. If his mother wasn't going to be there for him, then damn it, I'll take over the responsibility. He smiled.

"Of course." He started to climb down, but paused half-way down. "Hey, thanks."

"Anytime." I said, smiling for him. I watched him climb the rest of the way down, and put the ladder back. He waved to me and walked off into the night. I closed my window and sighed. I really just needed a vacation right now. We both did.

As I got ready for bed and crawled underneath my blanket and shut off the light, I couldn't help but be excited at the thought of possibly hanging out with my best friend tomorrow.

I fell asleep quickly, and in those last moments of innocence, I was blissfully unaware to what was about to come.

--

That morning, I couldn't help but notice the increasingly sinking feeling in my stomach. I tried to ignore it, but the feeling was making it very difficult. I got dressed and ready for the day in a blind daze.

Something was going to happen today. There was something that was going to completely throw me off course today. I just knew it.

Back when Ma still loved me, I remember her telling me about intuition or something like that. Apparently, humans of the female variety get these feelings when something's wrong or when something important is going to take place. She had even told me that four months before I was born, she had a feeling that I was going to be a girl and that I was to be named Lily. I remember being confused but awed.

As I walked down the stairs, I continuously wondered about what was going to happen. I ate a small breakfast consisting of a single pancake and a few pieces of fruit and felt that if I ate anymore than that, I was probably going to puke due to my nervous stomach.

I don't like this feeling. I don't like it at all.

"Hey Lil, I'm going into the next town to pick up a few things from the hardware store. Do you want to come with me?" I nodded.

"Sure."

My dad had been trying to find this weird tool-thing, and the hardware store here hasn't sold them in over a year. The nearest place we could find it is in the next town, a few miles away. I figured that a small trip and some nice change of scenery should clear my head and settle my nerves. Couldn't hurt, could it?

Oh, how ignorant was I. You know, looking back on it, I really should've seen it coming. It seems so obvious now. Well, I'll let you get back to seeing what happened.

We told Ma and headed out. Since the weather was still amazingly nice for October, I opened my window half-way and enjoyed the cool wind against my skin. A few minutes after we left, I looked in the mirror and saw that Gordie was in the car with his father right behind us. I smiled and turned around, waving through the back window at him. He caught sight and waved back.

When I sat regularly, I realized how even more uncomfortable I felt emotion-wise. I felt even more worried and unstable than I did when we left. Bad sign for sure. I got even more uncomfortable when I remembered that this car didn't have any of those seatbelt-things. This car's been with us since '53 and we don't really have a reason to sell it, so we kept it even though seatbelts are becoming more and more popular.

I instead focused on the good weather I was fortunate enough to have and closed my eyes. I felt a little, but not entirely better. I still had an extremely worried feeling that was really becoming a nuisance to me. I just wanted to enjoy the day with my father. Was that so much to ask?

I suddenly heard a loud screeching and someone beeping their horn, and my eyes shot open just in time to see and hear a crash. Two cars in front of us were now blocking the way, destroyed and starting to burn. It happened so suddenly, and we couldn't stop in time. I didn't even have time to scream or do anything such as blink.

My dad slammed on the brakes and everything went black as I heard another crash. When I opened my eyes a few seconds later, I was sprawled out somewhere on the road in a strange puddle, pain shooting throughout my body. I then felt the unbelievable pain and burning that was taking over my head. I barely lifted my head, but dropped it immediately after I felt another wave of pain. I groaned and, instead, I looked at the scene in front of me through slightly blurred vision.

I could just make out the two cars I saw before, only they were literally a few inches in front of me now. How the hell…? I couldn't think straight and tried to figure out what I was laying in.

I weakly pulled myself up an inch and looked down. A strange, reddish-brown liquid was in a growing puddle under and around me. Blood. I paled at this revelation and reached up to touch my forehead, where a lot of the pain was. I looked at my hand after feeling my face covered in the liquid and made a grossed-out face at the now blood-covered hand I had. I must've really taken a bad crash-landing.

I heard someone yelling and, assuming it was me, I weakly and painfully turned over to my other side and saw a shadow rapidly moving towards me. I noted that what I assumed was my former car at the side of the small pile-up, in extremely bad shape and almost unrecognizable. I groaned a bit in annoyance and worry for my father but was interrupted by the figure.

"G-Gordie?" I could barely speak, there was a bit of bleeding in my mouth that made it difficult for me.

"Lily! Oh God… Come on you have to stay awake for me!" He commanded.

"You're…bleeding…Your face…is…bleeding…" I tried to force each word out and move attention from myself.

"I'll be fine, but you're…" He drifted off, not wanting to continue. I 'hm'phed.

"I must…be a sight…eh?" I said in between breaths. I then laughed a bit, or at least attempted to. I started to cough and got sick as I really started to feel the blood in my mouth.

"Just stay calm and try not to go to sleep. Help is on the way, you just have to hang on." He said desperately.

I noticed that he wasn't moving his left arm at all, but pushed that to the back of my mind as I fought off the darkness that was closing in. I failed and felt myself falling asleep.

"Lily?...Lily!"

The last thing I heard was Gordie's voice as I embraced the darkness that was consuming my vision. I felt myself go numb as I began to sleep.

--

**A/N: Ooooo, more drama, full-steam-ahead! Don't worry, Lily's not gonna die that easily. She's not **_**that **_**weak y'know. ;3 Hope you enjoy the story that's unfolding and please review.**


	15. Hypersomnia

**A/N: Heyas everyone! :3 I've really been enjoying coming up with ideas for the story, so I hope you're enjoying the ride. XD By the way, I know that you probably think that Gordie is going to end up being paired with Lily, but I assure you, that is not my plan. So please just think of them as brother and sister.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Stand By Me/The Body (PS: Stephen King is GOD *thumbs up*)**

**Claimer: I own my OC's**

**Chapter 14: Hypersomnia**

The next thing I remembered was opening my eyes after a second. I sat up and looked around, noticing that I wasn't in pain anymore. All I saw was this weird, endless field and a bright blue sky. There was no breeze, but it was comfortable. I sighed in content and lay back down in the soft, overgrown grass and observed the sky for a moment.

I was confused when I started to hear someone singing. I looked around again, but nobody was there. It was just me and the alternate-world. I'm calling it that because there's no way this could be real. I haven't been near a field since I moved to Castle Rock, and no way moving there was a dream. This had to be a dream of some sort.

I sat and listened to the eerily familiar voice sing to me. I smiled when I recognized it as my favorite song as a child. It was entirely in Russian, and only my mother could sing it to me because she's the only one who actually knows Russian.

She met my father when she was on vacation in France and (duh) married into the Levantine family. Later on, they moved to America while my mom was pregnant with me. Even though I preferred to be around the French language, this song was the one exception. I could only understand a few of the words, having forgotten most of it over time, but I still loved listening to it. The comforting voice continued singing.

_Баю-баюшки-баю,  
Не ложися на краю._ _Придёт серенький волчок,  
Он ухватит за бочок_

My stomach dropped when I realized why it sounded familiar. It was my mother's voice. Even though she hasn't spoken to me directly in years and for sure hasn't sung to me, it was unmistakable. Tears welled in my eyes and I laughed bitter sweetly as I listened to the song I hadn't heard since I was four. I suddenly felt someone rub my head in a comforting manner.

_И утащит во лесок  
Под ракитовый кусток._

The song ended and the voice and hand disappeared. I felt alone and tired, but I couldn't fall asleep for some reason. I decided to test my abilities in my separate-world. I tried speaking first.

"Uh…Bonjour, je m'appelle Lily. Et toi?"

Well, I could speak. I decided to use French in order to calm myself. I could definitely hear things, being that I had been listening to my mother sing to me. Or was that just a hallucination? There wasn't anything to eat or drink in sight, so I couldn't test that. I couldn't really smell anything either. I could definitely still breathe, but I didn't feel any pain that I felt before. Perhaps I'm dead?

I shook that thought off and tried to think of something else. I thought about my father. Was he okay? Was he experiencing the same thing I was? What about Gordie and his father, are they okay? I missed all of them, save for Gordie's father. I haven't been such a big fan of his ever since Gordie explained what had happened between them.

Anyway, I was worried for all of them, regardless of whether I didn't like them or not. I worried for any others involved too. I wanted to know what was going on so badly.

"Je m'appelle Gordie."

I froze when I heard the reply. It was a boy's voice, and I could barely understand the broken French; which could only mean whoever was answering me obviously never spoke French at all in his life. Could Gordie really be answering me? I had to be sure.

"Gordie?" I asked timidly. A few seconds later I heard a voice.

"Lily, it's okay, I'm right here…" But where are you Gordie? The voice faded and I blacked out again.

An undetermined amount of time later, I awoke once more in the strange field. Still okay and still alone. I wondered what had wakened me up when I heard someone speaking.

"…Everyone's been really worried about you. I'm going to be just fine, and they even released me. Leena even stopped by today and left you some flowers. They're really pretty; I wish you could see them. I hope you wake up soon…"

It was Gordie. I started to cry, wishing that I could look at him and tell him that I'm better than ever. To him, I'm asleep, but I really want to show him that I'm awake and that I can hear him. I tried to say something, but my throat was sore, and it only came out as a broken mumble.

"Lily?...Are you awake?" I continued to cry at his hopeful response. He became worried.

"Lily, I'm right here with you. Please don't cry." He pleaded. Oh, Gordie, if only you knew.

I stopped crying and closed my eyes, strangely enough not feeling the grass that clearly surrounded me. Instead, it felt like I was simply lying in bed at home. It was a bit uncomfortable though, and I could feel an invisible cord of some sort brushing up against my neck. It was very strange, and I wish I could see exactly where I really was.

Gordie said something about being released, so am I in a hospital? How come I can't see my real surroundings, though? There's only so long someone can sleep, and it's obvious to me that I'm awake…sort of. Instead, I decided to try to relax and listen to what was going on and continued to listen to Gordie tell me about his day.

"I hope you can really hear me and that your reactions aren't just coincidences. The doctor said that sometimes people in comas can hear people talking to them."

A coma? That's it, I'm in a coma! At least I figured one thing out. All I had to do now was wake up. …But how does one wake up from a coma? Well, I'm in quite the pickle, aren't I? I blacked out against my will once again at that moment.

When I woke up again, the supposed cord near my neck felt a bit tighter, but I didn't pay any mind to that when I heard a door open and people walk in.

"How's she doing? Is she awake yet?" I recognized it as Chris, who seemed very troubled by the tone of his voice.

"No, but I'm pretty sure she can hear me." Gordie's voice seemed closer, and very hopeful.

"Does that mean she'll wake up soon?" Vern asked.

"I hope so; she's been reacting to what I tell her in some way or another." Once again, Gordie was hopeful.

"Really?" I almost choked on my own breath when I heard Teddy's voice. Was he worried about me?

"Yeah! Hey Lily…" I perked up. "If you can hear me, try to say something or move your hand." I was more than happy to oblige.

"I'm here Gordie…" It came out in a soft and forced whisper. I heard the others gasp. "Where are you?" I forced my question out despite the pain.

"She talked! Lil, can you open your eyes?" Vern was excited.

"I'm right here Lily, but you have to open your eyes." Gordie instructed me, obviously worried.

I tried to snap myself out of the coma, but couldn't. I was then aware of the tight feeling around my neck. I reached up and tried to grab at whatever was doing this. I kept missing and was instead clawing at my neck trying to grab the invisible cord. It became increasingly harder to breathe and I tried desperately to take some sort of breath. I was vaguely aware of the blood seeping through the scratches I created on my throat and very rapid beeping in the background. Where the hell is that cord?!

"Get a nurse, she can't breathe!" I barely heard Chris yell. My vision became blurry until all I could see was a bright white light. I panicked and screamed as much as I could stand to.

Suddenly, the light faded into black and my eyes snapped open. I was met with a most relieving sight. Two nurses were just putting what seemed to be an oxygen tube aside and leaving after making sure I was okay and bandaged up. A doctor then came into view and pointed a light in my eyes. I squinted them and raised my hand to shield myself.

"Lily, can you see me?" In a choked voice I replied.

"Yeah…" He put the light away and I put my hand down.

"Good, you're finally awake. Welcome back." He said amusingly. I smiled a bit.

"Thanks…Where is everybody?" I asked, my throat still sore, and turned to my left.

"Lily!" Gordie was all smiles and hugged me tight with his right arm. I hugged him back and cried.

"Gordie, oh God, I can finally see you! Everything you were saying, I was listening! I could hear everything you were telling me!" I exclaimed as we pulled away.

I couldn't stop crying. I wiped my eyes and looked around. The others were all smiles and surrounding my hospital bed. I noticed that Leena wasn't there and that Teddy looked a bit…empty. I paled when I remembered the emptiness I felt when I was stuck in that strange place.

"Lily?" I looked at Teddy. "What…was it like?" He worded his question carefully. I looked down at my hands.

"I…I never want to go there ever again…Never again…" I shook my head as I said this and looked up at their confused faces.

"Go where?" Gordie asked. I struggled with a way to describe it.

"It…It was so strange…I could've sworn I was there before, but I couldn't really move or feel anything…I could barely speak but I could hear almost everything that was going on here…I just couldn't see anything…I…I couldn't see where you were…I was s-so scared…I thought I… w-was dead…" I shivered as I recalled the horrible feeling. The memory of being alone was too much to bear, and I looked down at my hands, watching them shake as I struggled not to cry.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and looked up to meet Teddy's eyes. My heart almost sped up when I realized that _his_ hand was on _my_ shoulder. I gave him a small questioning look and cocked my head to the side.

"Sorry…" He said, looking away. "I didn't mean to make you upset." He murmured a bit, and I could've sworn I saw his blush as he pulled his hand away. I blushed and smiled a bit.

"It's alright, I'm not upset anymore. I'm awake now, aren't I?" He smiled and nodded.

"Yeah." I looked at Gordie.

"By the way, Gordie." He perked up at my question.

"What?"

"How long have I been sleeping, anyway?" He laughed a bit.

"About three days including Saturday. It's Tuesday morning." My eyes widened.

"That long?!" I practically yelled. Everyone laughed as I grimaced.

"Ugh, I can't wait to get a bath or something…" I fingered a lock of my hair and frowned. "My hair's disgusting and I smell." They laughed more and Gordie patted my arm.

"I'm sure they'll let you out of bed soon Lil." He said through laughs. I couldn't help it, and laughed back.

--

**A/N: Damn, long chapter, neh? XD I had a blast writing it, that's for sure. I'm sure that I'll have the next chapter out by Thursday or Friday. Maybe Wednesday, if I'm up to it so hang tight everyone and please review.**


	16. I Just Love to Hate Love

**A/N: Hey everyone, so sorry this didn't appear sooner. I've been really sick and just plain miserable the past few days, but I'm starting to feel better.**

**Disclaimer: Stephen King and Rob Reiner would probably cut me in half and feed the pieces to rabid weasels if I claimed rights to their stuff…so yeah, I don't own.**

**Claimer: However, I own my OC's and if you claim them, I will do as stated above.**

**Chapter 15: I Just Love to Hate Love**

After everyone else had left to go home, I asked Gordie about what happened.

"Well, I don't know too much, but I know that your dad was doing fine the last time I checked." I sighed in relief.

"Your dad?" I asked. He shrugged.

"He hasn't been doing so well." I looked away for a second.

"I'm sorry." I mumbled. He shook his head.

"No big deal." I smiled a bit in encouragement.

"So, anything else? By the way, what's with Teddy? He seems awfully upset."

"I'm not too sure, but he seemed _really_ worried about _you_ when he heard that you were in the biggest car wreck in five years." He smirked knowingly. I blushed.

"R-Really? He was worried?" He nodded, laughing quietly.

"He didn't even give anyone else who was in it a second thought. All he did was ask about what happened and if you were okay. He wouldn't shut up about you." My face turned pink and I looked down at my hands, smiling.

"Back to the subject, there's not a whole lot more that I know. It was really freaky though…Right before your dad stopped; we pulled up next to your car just in time to see you fly through the windshield." He shook his head. "I think that image'll haunt me for the rest of my life." I put a hand on his shoulder and smiled.

"Hey, I'm okay now. You can just relax and forget you ever saw that." He smiled back, but then frowned.

"Three people I knew died, though." I rubbed his shoulder, attempting to console him.

"I'm so sorry, Gordie." He nodded a bit and sighed. I tried to make the current situation brighter.

"Let's not talk about bad stuff right now! There'll be time for it later, but not now. Okay?" I smiled encouragingly. He gave me a small smile after a few seconds.

"Yeah." He agreed. A nurse then poked her head through the door.

"Excuse me, sorry to interrupt, but visiting hours are ending." He nodded and she left. He got up and gave me a one-arm hug.

"I'll be back first thing tomorrow." I frowned.

"You have school." I reminded him. He shook his head.

"Since the accident affected a lot of students and teachers, they decided to cancel school until everything was straightened out. We go back on Monday, after all the funerals are over." He shivered as he said the last part. I nodded in understanding.

"Hang in there, man. You'll be just fine." I reassured. "So I'll see you tomorrow morning?" He smiled sadly.

"Definitely. See you." He left the room, and once more, I was alone. I sighed in frustration.

Just when I thought life was going to get better, it explodes in my face. Little did I know that another surprise was waiting for me just around the corner.

It sucks to be me, it really does.

--

I woke up at around eight the next morning. I ate the bitterly disgusting breakfast they gave me, and an hour or two later, Gordie returned to keep me company. You know, now that I look at it, Gordie is the most loyal of everybody I've ever known besides Angel. It makes me feel warm inside, even when I'm in a really bad mood. I smile at the thought, but then frown.

Things would probably be a lot easier if I had fallen for him instead of Teddy. I mean seriously, since Gordie was too scared to confess to Chris and neither of us had a clue as to how Chris would react, why couldn't it just be me and him? He's kind, understanding, and he makes me happy when I'm too upset to listen to anyone else.

I wanted to cry when I thought of this. Clearly it just wasn't meant to happen. I don't have that feeling for him, and I know that he doesn't have that feeling for me either. I smile sadly, thinking of how much happier I could've been if it was me and him. I shake that thought away and smiled for real when I saw Gordie come in. My one and only Gordie; my best friend no matter _what_ happened.

"Hey Gordie!" My smile and enthusiasm quickly vanished when I saw his face.

It looked like he had been crying and was just starting to calm down. He also looked like he had run thirty miles before coming straight here.

"Gordie?" I whispered. He gave me one look, and then made a mad dash to be next to me. He clung to me and cried into my shoulder. Shocked, I immediately went into motherly-mode and held him, trying my best to comfort him.

"Gordie? Come on, man, what happened?" I asked gently, pulling his head up a bit so that I could see his face.

"I told him." He forced out, and then went back to crying. It was then that I understood.

Chris had rejected him.

I felt crushed inside at this revelation and cried silently along with him. My heart went out to him and what he was experiencing. It was the worst feeling in the world by far, and I should know. I knew how it felt to not be loved back, and it pained me so much to see it happen to him right now.

After a long ten minutes or so, he stopped crying, and we sat in the silence. Neither one of us spoke, not knowing just what to say.

He finally sat up and rubbed his eyes. I looked worriedly at him, but he just gave me a forced smile.

"I'll be fine. I feel better now." I frowned.

"No Gordie, you're not. You look exhausted!" I exclaimed and patted my lap.

"Lay down and take a nap or something, you're clearly tired."

He stayed in his spot for a few seconds, before giving in and laying his head on my lap and closing his eyes. Just as I thought, he was exhausted and fell asleep within seconds. Just seeing him was enough to make me tired too. I was almost asleep when I heard the door open.

I looked up, and in walked Chris himself. I narrowed my eyes as he dared to look at Gordie. How dare he? How dare he so much as_ glance_ at Gordie!? He had all the time in the world to be his friend, and now I don't even know what to think!

"Hey." He said gruffly, looking away from Gordie just as fast as he looked at him.

I looked away from his glance and absent-mindedly brushed back Gordie's now messy hair as he slept; blissfully unaware of what was taking place right in front of him. I envied him.

"What is it?" I said, just as pissed.

"You know, just because I don't want to be some fag, you don't have to treat me like this is _my_ fault!" He growled out angrily. My eyes widened at the use of that dreadful insult, then narrowed dangerously.

"Get out…" I grumbled, rage taking over. He looked a bit puzzled, but still angry.

"What?" He had not heard me. I looked him straight in the eye and pointed at the door.

"Am I not speaking English? Get out! Get out of my sight right now!" I nearly shouted. Luckily, Gordie didn't hear me and continued to snore softly.

I noticed that Chris looked a bit hurt at this, but I honestly didn't care enough at the moment. He turned and left the room without another word. I sighed when he left the room and looked down at Gordie, smiling sadly.

"Hey, I promise I won't let _anyone_ hurt you. It doesn't matter who it is… because I'll _always_ protect you…Okay?" I said mostly to myself as I patted his head again with a few tears streaming down my face, glad that he was asleep and didn't need to see or hear what just happened.

I looked up, my smile disappearing, and froze when I saw that Chris had been standing in the doorway. He probably heard me, because he didn't look angry anymore. He just looked…well, sad. He turned and walked away, actually leaving this time.

I waited a few minutes to see if he would come back, and when he didn't, I relaxed and fell asleep. I wish today would just end already.

--

**A/N: There you go! This should keep you guys busy while I work on the next chapter and a few things school-related. XD Please review.**


	17. Family Ties

**A/N: Hallo everybody! Sorry it took so long! I hope you enjoy the next chapter! :3**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Stand by Me**

**Claimer: I own my OC's**

**Chapter 16: Family Ties**

I was brought out from my dream by multiple whispering voices. I didn't open my eyes, and instead opted for trying to figure out what was happening. First off, I noticed something warm and furry-like underneath my left hand and felt a weight on my lap. Remembering what had happened earlier that day, I was relieved that Gordie was still here and still appeared to be sleeping. I listened in on the voices.

"I don't think we should wake them…They seem really tired…" I heard a boy suggest.

"It's almost noon, I think they've slept enough!" Another boy snapped in a hushed voice.

"But they look so cute like that! I'd hate to wake them…" A girl gushed.

I felt my face heat up. I recognized the girl as Leena and almost groaned when I realized that she may now think me and Gordie are 'together'; or at least close to it. Well, I think it's about time I 'wake up'. I pretended to be just waking up and stretched a little as I yawned.

"Guys?" I opened my eyes and rubbed them, being sure to use a 'sleepy' tone.

"See what you did!" Leena scolded Teddy.

"What _I_ did?" He replied, ticked off. Vern watched, helpless.

"Yeah, if you weren't so loud even when you were whispering, poor Lily could've slept more!" She still stayed quiet, and I found out why when I looked down and saw Gordie still sleeping peacefully. I smiled a bit and looked back up to see the couple still bickering, smiling more in amusement.

"Trouble in paradise, you two?" I raised a brow at them. They stared at me and blushed in embarrassment, starting to laugh.

"This argument really _is_ silly." Leena said through giggles and smiled up at Teddy. He nodded, smirking and looked to me.

"So are you two, like…" He started, motioning toward Gordie and me. "…together or something?" He asked. My shoulders slumped and I sighed, shaking my head.

"No, Gordie and I will never be together like that. He just…" I looked down at said boy. "…really needs someone to hang onto right now. He's going through a pretty rough time…it's hard to explain."

I looked up and met Teddy's eyes, surprised to see a strange gaze. His face was neutral, but in his eyes he held a lot of emotion. It was a strange mix of thought and…relief? This caught me way off guard. Was he actually _relieved_ to hear that I wasn't dating Gordie, or was this just a cruel trick of my imagination?

He looked away and I sighed internally. I chalked it up to what must've been brain damage from the accident.

I could _really_ go for a vacation right now.

--

Later, when the three had left, Gordie woke up and rubbed his eyes.

"Hey there sleeping beauty." I teased and smirked. He smiled a bit and sat up to stretch his sore muscles.

"How long have I been asleep?" He asked, looking around to find a clock. I counted in my head.

"About four or five hours." I shrugged. "I woke up about an hour ago. His eyes widened and he blushed in embarrassment.

"Sorry for sleeping on your lap for so long. It must've been annoying." I shook my head and frowned at him, concern radiating off me.

"Not at all, you needed your rest." Though he didn't reply to that, I saw a clear look of gratefulness in his face. Now that I thought about it, he was looking more 'alive' than he had this morning.

I found a conveniently-placed marker nearby and motioned to Gordie's cast. He smiled and stretched his left arm out to me. I smiled absently as I scribbled down a message.

"…Do you want to talk about it?" I asked gently. I frowned when I received no answer. Looking up from his cast, I watched him think about everything.

"Later." He decided, smiling a bit. I nodded and went back to my message.

"_Whenever_ you're ready." I assured, putting the cap back on the marker and setting it down on the table beside me. He pulled his arm back and read what I wrote.

'Hey Gordie! I can't wait to until we're both better so we can hang out again like normal people! J – Love, Lil'

I had put a little heart after my name in order to make a statement to him; that no matter what happens or what he does, I'll always love him. That seemed to make all the difference, as he smiled brightly and hugged me.

"Thanks." He said, sounding even better than a few minutes earlier.

Gordie had to go home for a little bit a few minutes later, which left me to sit here, bored out of my skull. I spent an hour talking to myself in the third-person and asking questions that I would then proceed to answer in a slightly different voice.

It was actually pretty creepy.

Just when I was considering ripping the IV out of my arm purely for the excitement and havoc it would cause, I heard someone enter the seemingly increasingly blinding-white room. I looked up from the IV with a completely bored expression, expecting to see Gordie or perhaps even Chris. My look disappeared and was replaced with a simple wide-eyed stare.

It was my mom. My mom willingly entered my room.

At first I thought it was a mistake; that she must've thought this was dad's room. But she clearly saw me and stayed standing where she was. We just stayed where we were, seemingly in a trance. For what seemed like forever, we stared at each other, until she actually moved and sat down next to me.

We stayed in an uncomfortable silence. I couldn't help myself, so I asked:

"Why?" She looked genuinely confused.

"Why what?" I frowned.

"Why are you here, in my room, next to me? Why are you looking at me? Why are you talking to me? Why are you acting like this isn't completely out of the blue?"

I asked every question that popped into my head at that second. To be perfectly honest, I was completely freaking out. For a moment I wondered if maybe I was hallucinating from some drug a nurse gave me or something, but that couldn't be it. There was no way I imagined the entire day. It was way too real to be fake.

She was silent for another few minutes, just watching me. I felt like an experiment in some sort of lab, being observed before a bunch of scientists decided they want to cut me open and mess around with my insides. That disturbing image went away when she began to speak.

"Look, Lily, I know that this must seem very sudden for you and I understand why…I just…I just thought that you would hate me if I smothered you after your accident, so I tried to give you space…I didn't want you to hate me…" She said, starting to tear up. I frowned.

"Yeah, and my own mother completely ignoring me for half of my life _didn't_ make me hate you?" She started to cry quietly.

"I _know_, I know…I don't know why I did that…I-I was so scared for you…but I never stopped caring for you, Lily… _never_! You're my daughter, and I love you! I just want you to forgive me…" She cried more and pulled me into a hug.

Against my will, I started to cry like a little kid and hug her back, clinging to her. We sat there hugging and crying like idiots, but for once in my life, I felt _loved_ by her. I actually felt _loved_ by her! Every wave of sadness I felt from the moment she started to ignore me came back at full speed and was released at that moment.

Eventually, we got ourselves together and sat up, smiling and laughing. We just sat there for a few minutes, enjoying the moment. A thought then popped into my head.

"So that really _was_ you singing to me when I was in the coma?" She looked surprised.

"You _heard_ that?" I nodded.

"I heard almost everything. By the way, who taught Gordie how to say his name in French? I don't think he knew that before." She smiled.

"After you mumbled in your sleep, he really wanted to talk back, but neither of us were sure if you spoke French because it was the only language you _could_ understand. The doctor said that the hit to the head you got may have affected you in that way."

I nodded in understanding and was grateful that I didn't lose any memory. Suddenly, my stomach growled with intensity. I sighed, realizing I hadn't eaten anything since eight this morning. Mom got up.

"I'll go get you some lunch, okay?" I smiled in appreciation.

"Okay, thanks." She nodded and walked out.

I sighed with content. At least one thing worked itself out; only two more problems to go. Well, three if you counted the whole hospital thing. I really hope I can get out soon.

--

**A/N: Oh wow, you have no idea how sorry I am that this took so long! I promise I'll get working on the next one ASAP! Please review!**


	18. Hide and Seek

**A/N: Heyas everyone, again Im sorry for taking so damn long. I started my finals for the year, and being that I'm going into high school, it's been especially tough. Also, I apologize for typos that may be in this chapter, for I had to transfer the part I had done so far to my computer, which does not have microsoft word and is retarded. XD Hope you're enjoying the confusing life of Lily. XD**

**Disclaimer: Me no own.  
**

**Claimer: Me own Lily and Leena and stuff.  
**

**Chapter 17: Hide and Seek  
**

While I was eating the sandwich mom had so generously made for me, the doctor-guy who was in charge of me stopped by. Checking my vitals and records of the past couple of days, he said that if everything continues smoothly and Im able to walk on my own, that I can get out by Sunday or Monday! Im so excited; I cant wait to go home!

Other than that, for two whole hours I caught up with my mom on my life. She listened and provided much-needed commentary to me. She doesnt exactly know what was going on with Gordie and Chris, though; I only told her that Gordie had a crush on someone and that someone had flat-out rejected him. Even though I didnt tell her, I had a feeling she knew; my mom knows everything.

Also, mom told me something interesting today. Believe it or not, I was actually born in New York!

About three months after they first moved to the U.S and got their European-refugee papers straightened out, my parents were temporarily living in a small apartment. I was born, and about a year or so later, we moved to Indiana, and moved to Colorado when I was three. Pretty cool, eh? I had no idea and I couldnt remember anything earlier than when I was four.

Also, I say refugee because as you know, WWII had recently ended and there was still tension between countries, especially considering that my mom is Russian-born; I can only imagine the problems surrounding that. Mom and Dad worked hard despite the obstacles, and eventually escaped France for a better life here in the US.  
Its so fun talking with mom! I couldnt for the life of me remember how it felt to have a parent of the same gender who really understood and knew you.

At one point, Vern decided to drop by. He had walked in while mom and I were still chatting excitedly, and when he saw us...oh, you should have seen his face! He just stopped in his tracks, looked back and forth at us for a minute, and just stood there open-mouthed.

"Uh, what?" Was all he could say. It was hilarious! We both laughed.

"Hey Vern, whats up?" He shook his head as if to get rid of the confusion and smiled, walking over to stand next to me.

"Nothing much, but something weird has been going on with Chris and Gordie." I forced myself to look genuinely confused and tried not to squeak as I replied.

"Oh, really?" Whoops, too late for the squeaking thing. I cleared my throat. "What's happening?" I didnt look at my mom.

"I don't know, but they haven't spoken to each other and they never even look at each other anymore. Its really weird!" I pretended to wonder what was going on between them.

"Huh, thats really creepy. I wonder what happened..." He nodded.

"You and Gordie tell each other everything... Could you try to find out?" I nodded slowly, not blinking and still not looking at mom.

"Of course." I squeaked a bit again; dammit! Luckily, Vern didnt seem to notice. Thank goodness for his naïve-ness!

"Thanks Lil, you're the best!" He smiled, and I think I died a little inside. I hate lying to him and mom

"Hehe, so anyway!" I said, changing the subject. "I should be able to get out of here soon!" He smiled even more.

"Sincerely?" I smiled and nodded.

"Sincerely."

He left a few minutes later, and I finally worriedly glanced at mom and giving her a fake smile, trying to act as if nothing's wrong. She just gave me a look and smirked.

Crap, I think she knows! She got up.

"I'll be right back, sweetie. The doctor wanted to talk to me for a minute." I nodded and watched her walk out.

Once she was gone, I sunk into the hospital bed and let out an exhausted sigh I didn't know I'd been holding in. I closed my eyes and rubbed them for a few seconds.

"Uh...Lil?" I opened them and looked up to see none other than Teddy. I gave him a tired glare.

"What?" He recoiled slightly and gave me a sheepish look.

"Uh...I wanted to ask...if you've seen Gordie lately..." I felt as if I was punched in the stomach.

"W-What?" He worriedly looked at me.

"Nobody in town has seen or heard from him for a few hours. I'm getting...w-worried." I felt tears form in my eyes.

"You mean...h-he's...missing?" I could barely control my shaking voice, fearing the worst. He looked at the ground.

"Just...let me know if you hear from him, okay?" He said after a few seconds, looking up at me. I nodded, wiping my eyes.

"Sure thing...Thanks for telling me." He gave a nod.

"Yeah...I'm gonna go keep looking." I quickly nodded, watching him leave. Covering my mouth to keep from screaming, I squeezed my eyes shut.

Well, fuck!

As it turns out, the doctor had been planning out the next couple of days as rehabilitation days to practice my walking. After a tiring, but successful session, I had the disgusting and terribly dry dinner and layed down. My mom kissed me goodnight, and left to say goonight to dad and go home.

It was ten after eight when I got the call. I tiredly picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Lily?" I froze and almost stopped breathing.

"G-Gordie? Is that you?"

"Yeah, hey listen-"

"Gordon Lachance, where the _hell_ are you and what the _fuck_ were you thinking?!" I cut him off. He was silent for a moment.

"I...I can't really explain why I ran off..."

"Well, find a way before I track you down myself and kick your ass, you idiot." He laughed quietly on the other line, sensing that I was half joking.

"Seriously Gordie...Where are you? Where are you going, and just what the hell do you plan to do once you're there?" He was quiet for a minute.

"Do you know when you're going home?" He changed the subject. I sighed in frustration.

"I should be out by Sunday or Monday. Why?" He was quiet for God only knows how long. It seemed like forever had gone by before he answered in a grim, but clam tone.

"I'll come back for you." He said nothing more and hung up.

I was left sitting there for half-an-hour, trying to figure out what he ment by that. Was he just getting away for a few days and then coming back to stay? Or could he have been trying to say that he wanted me to go with him? Finally I had decided that he had ment the latter, when a police officer and detective walked in. My suspicions about their reasons for being here were confirmed when they asked if I had seen or heard from Gordie today.

Although I was very worried and I desperately wanted them to bring him back, I had to stay true to my friend. I gave no indication that I had seen or heard from him since his visit this morning or knew where he could be. (Which, in reality, I didn't.) They seemd to believe me and left soon afterwards.

I could barely keep my eyes closed that night. I kept worrying that somewhere far away, Gordie was hurt and I couldn't do anything about it. I silently cried myself to sleep at well past midnight.

--

**A/N: Holy crap, I can't believe I haven't updated in over a month! :O I'm so sorry but school has been killing me! I'll try to get the next chapter up ASAP! I hope you're enjoying the ride and I also hope you don't think that all of this drama is rushed, because I'm trying my best to keep it at a decent pace. XD Please review.**


	19. Secret Game

**A/N: Geez, another long period of time without updating. DX Sorry guys, I really am. Anyway, as of right now as I type this, I'm officially out of school for the summer! That means I have two whole months to write this! X3 Hopefully, I'll be able to finish this story by New Year's, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see. ;3**

**Disclaimer: Please refer to past chapters.**

**Claimer: Please refer to the above statement.**

**Chapter 18: Secret Game**

_-A few days later…-_

I sighed as I tiredly sat on my bed. Smiling, I lay down and squirmed in excitement. My bed, my very own bed! My home, _my _home! Everything seemed just so _wonderful_ now that I was back at home and away from that hospital!

Relishing every moment in my room, I smiled as much as I could stand, trying to forget what lay ahead for me tonight. I remembered the call well; it was certainly burned into my memory.

_-A few hours earlier…-_

I was alone in my room, packing what I had and looking forward to being in my house again. The phone started to ring, and somehow created an eerie atmosphere. I shivered involuntarily and stared at it for a moment, unsure of if I should answer it. Against my will, I reached for it before I had a chance to think.

"…Hello?"

"Lily?" I almost sighed in relief.

"Hey. So you're safe? Are you in trouble? Do you need my help?" I asked any question that popped into my head. He laughed a bit at my motherly-ness.

"In that order, yes, no, and not really, but I am getting lonely." I smiled bitterly.

"Serves you right for completely ditching your friends like that." He laughed quietly again.

"Alright, I deserved that, but in all seriousness, I really miss you." He sounded truly apologetic. I almost cried.

"I miss you too." Sighing internally, I made my decision to tell him about my discharge from the hospital.

"I'm going home today."

"Sincerely?"

"Yeah." There was a moment of silence.

"Will you go with me?" I paused, mulling it over. Amazingly enough, I didn't think about it too much before I answered.

"Yeah, I'll go with you."

"Thanks Lil."

"Yeah…So when're you gonna drop by?"

"Tonight."

"Hm? You're that close by?"

"I am now; I've been staying close by since we talked the other day. I've been waiting for you to get out."

"How sweet." I smirked. He laughed a bit.

"See you tonight. Make sure you're ready."

"Yeah, see you later." We hung up, and for the first time since the conversation started, I fully realized what I had just agreed to.

Shit.

_-Back to present time.-_

I sighed and got up. Grabbing a backpack I had laying around, I began to pack a couple of changes of clothes. After that, I wasn't too sure of what else I should bring. I packed a picture of my small family before Angel died with all the love and care I had, a notebook and pen, and a small blanket just big enough for two people.

Thinking of what I might need for the undetermined days ahead, I kneeled down and dug under my bed, pulling out a small container. Opening it, I counted the money I had been saving inside. Satisfied that it should be enough to cover for at least a week or so, I closed the container again and shoved it deep inside my bag where it couldn't fall out and give me trouble I didn't need.

A sudden thought occurred to me. What if we got into some sort of danger? What the hell would I defend us with? A pen? A notepad? I think _not_.

Quietly, I snuck downstairs; making sure that mom was out on errands like she said she would be. When I found that I was truly home alone, I walked into the kitchen and found what I was looking for. Carefully, I took the rather large knife and went back upstairs. Packing it with the utmost care, I silently prayed that I would never have to use it.

Sitting down, I decided to try and get some rest before tonight. If I'm right, then Gordie would probably want to do most of our travelling tonight, so as to get as far away as we could before anyone noticed that I had gone missing as well. An uneasy feeling lurched through my stomach as I thought about that. As if Gordie gone wasn't enough, me going missing would be sure to upset people.

I thought about Teddy, Vern, Leena, mom, dad…everyone. I wondered what they would do when they found that I had run off. I even thought of Chris, and wondered how he would react. Everyone'll probably think right away that I had run off to_ look_ for Gordie. They have no idea that I was in fact running away _with_ him; that this had been planned and that he was coming back here for me. I started to cry when I pictured what their reactions would most likely be.

I tried to stop crying and instead thought of Gordie. This is it, I decided. From now on, as long as we're gone, I have to take care of him. I will be responsible for him. I'll make sure to give him all of my love and support and protect him from the world. If his parents won't care, then I will.

"If nobody else will love you," I thought out loud, making the ultimate decision. "Then I will."

--

I had managed to get a good two hours of rest before mom woke me up for dinner. I ate with fake happiness, and was secretly dying on the inside with the thought that I had no idea when the next time I'll see her is. Deciding to make the best of it, I kept smiling and laughing for her. If I had to leave, then the least I could do was leave her happy, right?

A few hours later, I found myself sitting at my small desk, writing a note using only the moonlight. I couldn't turn on the light because while I had pretended to turn in for the night, mom was still awake.

_Mom,_

_I'm so sorry. I just couldn't let him go alone. Please forgive me, and don't tell the others. I can't afford to let them find him right now. I promise I'll come back, I just don't know when._

_Love always, Lily_

I sighed and placed the note on my bed where she could see it in the morning when she came to wake me.

Another hour passed, and mom had by now gone to bed herself, when I heard a tapping at my window. Looking up, I was relieved to find Gordie standing on the ladder looking in at me. I opened the window and hugged him.

"Hey." He quietly greeted. I smiled sadly in return, and grabbed my bag.

Taking one last look at my room, I went down the ladder after he did, shutting my window. After putting the ladder away, I made sure I had everything and followed after him, noticing he had a backpack as well.

Making one last stop at Gordie's house, he snuck in through a window and returned about ten minutes later with a small gathering of food. He made sure to pick foods that wouldn't go bad by the time we decided to eat.

We reached the edge of town, and after taking one last look, we turned and headed onward.

After a few minutes, I spoke up.

"So where exactly are we going anyway?" We didn't stop walking, wanting to get at least a good few miles away by daybreak.

"Not entirely sure." He shrugged. "Anywhere that'll take us in, I suppose."

I nodded, understanding and continuing to walk by his side. Another few minutes went by.

"Hey Gordie?" He turned my way.

"Yeah?" I didn't turn, just moving closer and grabbing his hand.

"I love you." I said quietly. He was silent for a moment, before he gripped my hand as well.

"I love you too." He said in return.

For the entire five hours we walked, we were silent, still holding hands, and still silently wishing for an opportunity to make itself clear.

--

**A/N: Whoa guys, I just checked the stats on this story, and…just wow! I had no idea that so many people like this story! XD That's just my low self-esteem for ya…always making me feel like the worst writer in history. I feel so loved now! Anyway, please continue to read and support me. :3 Please review!**


	20. A Makeshift Girlfriend

**A/N: Hey everybody! You have no idea how excited I was when I saw your reviews! X3 Keep them coming, 'cause I need them to survive. XD**

**Disclaimer: No, just no.**

**Claimer: I own my OC's.**

**Chapter 19: A Makeshift Girlfriend**

When I woke up, it was bright and sunny. For a few moments, I wondered why my body was so stiff, why I now had someone's shoulder for a pillow, and why nature's sounds seemed so close. Mostly, though, I awoke wondering why I was sleeping almost on top of Gordie, his left arm wrapped around my waist and securing me in place, and my right arm draped over his chest. Bit by bit, I regained my memory and instead wondered how long we had been sleeping.

Slowly sitting up, I shuddered at the sounds of my joints cracking and found that my left arm was asleep from all of my body weight pressing down on it. Stretching and yawning, I quietly reached over into Gordie's bag and pulled out his watch. It was three twenty-four in the afternoon.

Well, one thing's for certain: Our body-clocks are now officially screwed up. I sighed in annoyance, gently nudging my travelling companion awake.

"C'mon Gordie, we gotta make it out of here before someone finds us." I mumbled, still tired. Someone's bound to have figured out I'm gone by now, so I didn't want to take any chances. He woke up slowly and stretched.

"Hm? What time is it?" He mumbled almost incoherently. I looked at the watch again.

"Three twenty-eight; Time to get going while we can." He nodded and stood up, gathering his things. I got up as well, folding and packing away my blanket and helping his put away his sleeping bag that we had used as a mattress.

In less than five minutes later, a personal record for me mind you, we were walking. Our former campsite was becoming farther and farther away with each passing second.

About twenty minutes later, we found ourselves walking the train tracks, munching on crackers and pieces of bread, and making small talk as it were a normal day.

'It _is_ a normal day.' A part of me thought. 'Now that you two are pretty much fugitives, _this_ is going to be normal from now on.' The strange voice reminded me. The other half of me silently agreed.

"What direction are we going, Lil?" Gordie suddenly asked. I took a quick glance at the sun. It was past noon and it was to my right, so that means…

"We're heading south." I answered. "Why?" He shrugged.

"I'm trying to think of what we should do when we get to wherever we're going. That pretty much depends on what area we go to, right?"

"I guess." I thought about it. "If we decide to just keep going, south means California. You plan on going that far?" I asked curiously. He thought for a moment and shrugged.

"If we feel like we should keep going, then I guess we should." I nodded in agreement.

--

_Meanwhile, that morning in Castle Rock…(3__rd__ Person POV)_

Vern Tessio hurriedly ran up to Teddy's house and, seeing that the door was open, burst in and ran into the kitchen. Teddy was currently washing dishes while Chris was sitting at the nearby table making small talk with Leena.

"Dude, ever hear of knocking?" Teddy raised a brow at his younger friend.

"We…" Vern spoke while trying to catch his breath. "…gotta go…_look_!"

"We'll go look for Gordie again later. I'm stuck doing chores right now and besides, it's been almost a week and we haven't found a trace of him. I'm sure our suddenly psycho friend is long gone by now, Vern-o." Teddy rolled his eyes, picking up another plate and giving Vern a bored look. None of them saw Chris flinch slightly and look down at Teddy's statement. Vern regained the ability to speak clearly.

"That's the thing, though! _Lily's_ gone!"

_**Crash!**_

Nobody even bothered to glance at the dish Teddy just dropped. Chris' head snapped up, Teddy's eyes widened, and Leena adopted a shocked expression in place of her normally content look.

"What?!" Leena all but screamed. Chris was silent, but obviously very shocked. Teddy looked just about ready just lose it and run around screaming.

"I was checking to see if she wanted to hang out, now that she's out of the hospital and all, but there was a cop there and her mom told me that she ran off last night!" He explained in one breath. There was a brief pause as the information sunk in.

_**Thump! **_Teddy hit the floor in a dead faint, just missing the shards of the former plate.

This time, they paid attention. All three swarmed around the now unconscious Teddy.

"Teddy, are you alright?" Leena gently shook her boyfriend. Teddy slowly came to and sat up.

"We gotta go look for her." He stated simply. Leena nodded firmly.

"Of course; no questions about it!" She looked at Chris expectantly, Vern gave him a nervous look, and Teddy gave him a steady gaze that silently screamed 'this is _your_ fault, and if you don't help us, I _will_ kill you.'

Unbeknownst to everyone else, including Lily and Gordie themselves, Teddy was well aware of the conflict between the three and had suspected the reasons behind it. Finally, after not being able to stand it any longer, Chris sighed in defeat.

"Alright." Leena and Vern smiled happily at each other, while Teddy gave him a slight nod of approval, his expression not changing.

They left the house after cleaning the floor and leaving a note, and went straight to the Levantine residence. Knocking, they only had to wait a moment before Mrs. Levantine came running and whipped the door open. Upon seeing who it was, she sighed.

"I'm sorry children; it's not that I'm unhappy to see you. I was just hoping that it would be Lily coming back to me." She said sadly in her slight Russian accent.

"That's what we wanted to talk about." Leena revealed.

"Is that so? What is it?" She asked, still sad but now curious.

"We want to go look for her." Vern provided. She nodded slowly, not quite 'getting' their presence and remembering how they did not do this when Gordon Lachance went missing.

"You're here to tell me this, why?" She asked, confused. They tried to come up with a way to explain.

"Well, the thing is…" Teddy started. "We want to look for them, in a…'road trip' kind of way." He explained. She thought for a moment and let his explanation sink in. Secretly, although she had been living in America for about thirteen years, she was still struggling with American terms and customs.

"Are you saying that you wish to leave town and look for her?" She guessed, still not quite understanding the term 'road trip'.

"Yeah, basically." Chris stated. The older woman made a face that showed her realization. She then made a puzzled look.

"But you children have school, do you not? Also, how would you convince your parents?" The four paused, not having thought about that.

"Uh…" Leena was at a loss for words. Mrs. Levantine, despite the situation at hand, laughed warmheartedly.

"Ah, you children, it is amusing that you try to jump without thinking…I'm so glad that Lily has friends like you…" She held back tears as she beamed down at the small group before her. They each smiled back in their own ways and looked down.

"I really wanted to look for her too…" Vern mumbled sadly.

"My parents wouldn't even notice I was gone." Chris grunted, disappointed.

Teddy and Leena were silent, but it was already obvious that they were sad. Mrs. Levantine frowned.

"I am sorry children, but unless your parents give consent, I cannot allow you to look for my daughter outside of Castle Rock." She explained, giving them a small apologetic smile. Leena's head shot up.

"That's it!" Everyone looked at her expectantly. "All we gotta do is get permission from our parents!" She smiled.

"…And _how_ do you suggest we do that?" Teddy asked. Leena paused, then pouted, kicking the ground disappointedly.

"I'll think of something…" She grumbled.

--

_Back with Lily… (Lily's POV)_

About ten minutes of heavy thinking later, I decided to finally just come out with it.

"Gordie." We didn't look at each other, already exhausted and barely paying attention.

"Hm?" He mumbled, giving me a sign that he was listening.

"If you want…" This time he looked at me. I turned to face him as well. "_I_… could be your girlfriend...for however long you want…and we don't even have to do anything lovey-dovey. We could just hang out and talk…y'know…"

God, this was feeling more awkward with every word that came spilling out of my mouth. He was silent for a few minutes, still staring at me with a blank, but somehow quizzical, look. I blushed under his steady gaze and looked down, bringing both of my hands in front of me and trying to distract myself.

For a long time, ever since this mess started a little over a month ago, I wondered if I should just let go of Teddy and be with Gordie. Plus, with Chris rejecting him and Teddy having a girlfriend, it seemed more and more like the logical choice. I had to admit, having a friend like Gordie was the best thing that could've happened to me. Why not try for more when it seemed like there was no other choice?

He took me by surprise. I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I almost jumped when I felt his hand pull me towards him. We had stopped walking and were just standing there, staring at each other for an unknown amount of time. After what seemed like an eternity, I was preparing to face possible rejection from the only other boy I loved, when he caught me off guard and pulled me into his arms.

His arms wrapped around me in a warm embrace that, truth be told, completely comforted me and drove away all negative thoughts. I reveled in its effect on me and held onto him as if my life depended on it. Without any warning signs, we both began to cry quietly, each of us silently mourning our unrequited loves and trying to let go of them.

Finally, after a few minutes, he released me from his surprisingly strong grip. Despite that he was no longer holding me, I still stood in place, looking up to see his face. He gave me a small smile.

"Thanks for being willing to do that…but I know that you still really love Teddy. I can't make you give him up for me." I frowned and placed my hands on his shoulders.

"I'm _not_ giving him up. You can't give away what was never yours, can you? Well, he was never mine, so it's not possible. He's Leena's." I told him, my voice almost breaking as I said the last part. I pulled myself together as quickly as I could to continue. "I need somebody to be there for me, and so do you. Since it obviously can't be Chris or Teddy, it has to be me. I refuse to be in love with anyone but you and Teddy, and you won't love anyone else but Chris. So please…" I begged. "Let _me_ love you…Let _me_ be your support."

He silently looked at me in slight shock at my small speech. I never tore my gaze away from him and gave him all the time he needed to think. He smiled a bit, tears beginning to spill again, and nodded.

"If you could learn to put up with a sissy like me." He joked, laughing slightly. I smiled.

"You're not a sissy, and I already love you." I retaliated, gently nudging him with my arm. "Come on," I said. "Let's go."

Well, it wasn't how I pictured my first relationship to be, but it was something. I guess we both just needed this; someone to depend on and love. I may only be his makeshift girlfriend, but at least 'dating' me would help take his mind off of Chris and make letting go of him easier.

**A/N: Well, there you have it; the longest chapter of the entire story so far. XD I'm a bit iffy on how I wrote this chapter, but I can't figure out how else to write it so I guess I'll just stick with this. Please review, the next chapter will be up this weekend. :)**


	21. We're all to Blame

**A/N: Holy **_**fuck**_**, guys, I had **_**no**_** idea that so many people were still reading! D: When I went to check the reviews on Monday and saw 6 I almost screamed and the next day when I saw 2 more I almost fainted! XD You should've seen my face! I could only just mutter to myself 'Is a **_**little**_** bit of tough love really **_**all**_** that it takes?' It was hilarious! XD Anyway, here you go; a new chapter! You guys deserve it! :]**

**Disclaimer: Really? You still don't get it?**

**Claimer: Refer to the above statement.**

**Chapter 20: We're all to Blame**

A day later, we found a farm on the outskirts of the next town over. The small business was owned by a middle-aged widow and her young daughter, who was two years younger than me and Gordie.

The woman, Mrs. Striggam, was reluctant to not just force us into her car and drive us back to Castle Rock. After explaining that we had our reason and that we couldn't go back _just_ yet, she insisted that we at least stay at her house. Something about creeps wandering the area and whatnot. She's really nice, though, and her daughter, Anna's a sweetheart.

Well, we now had somewhere to stay at least. In exchange for helping around the farm and house, we had shelter, food, and protection. The day we got here, a cop had stopped by. She quickly hid us and denied ever even knowing of our existence. She's a pretty cool lady, I have to admit.

I cut my hair soon after we arrived. It was getting to annoying to have long hair that kept getting messy and frizzy all the time, so it was now a very messy shoulder-length. Gordie had been the one who cut it for me, so it wasn't professional. Most of it was just above my shoulders, but he accidentally made the two small sections framing my face noticeably longer than the rest.

Mrs. Striggam offered to even it out for me, and Gordie felt bad for it, but I refused. To be honest, I loved it; it was perfect just the way it was. Plus, evening it out meant that she would cut it even shorter, which I sure as hell didn't want.

It was a few days later when we got the news. Castle Rock and the town we were staying in (whose name escapes me) are in the same county, so we got the same newspaper. Gordie and I were sitting at the kitchen table while Mrs. Striggam and Anna went into town for an hour.

My birthday was coming up in a few short days, and Gordie, feeling bad for the entire situation, wanted to come up with a decent way to celebrate. I didn't mind, though; having Gordie with me was enough to make me happy.

I sat there nibbling at some cereal and toast, occasionally watching Gordie scribbling ideas and sometimes reading a small article in the newspaper next to me. A light wind suddenly blew in through the window and caused the newspaper to flip to a random page towards the back.

Annoyed, I was about to flip it back to the page I was reading when a name caught my eye. Upon further inspection, what I found made my heart skip a beat and caused me to gag a little. Carefully swallowing, I did my best to speak.

"Uh…Gordie?"

"Just a sec." He said, in the middle of writing something.

"You're gonna wanna see this." I pressed, never taking my eyes off that one spot, secretly hoping it was just a hallucination.

Judging from Gordie's expression when he got up to stand behind me and see what it was, it wasn't. No, it was all too real…

What was causing us to be so distraught, you ask?

It was an obituary.

An obituary for Mr. Lachance, that is.

Mr. Lachance, Gordie's father, was officially dead.

'_Mr. George Lachance_

_March 31 1919 – October 20, 1959_

_Survived by wife Marian and son Gordon._

_Service on October 22__nd__ at St. Alice Catholic Church. Public welcome.'_

"The service is tomorrow…" He mumbled, not a hint of clear emotion in his eyes. To be perfectly honest, it was making me nervous. A few frightening seconds passed before I dared to break the silence.

"M-Maybe…we should…y'know, go back…" He looked at me, still wearing that blank expression he had mastered.

"You're all that your mother has now…" I said sadly and honestly. "Please don't do this to her." He looked away, thinking, and still standing behind me, leaning slightly over my shoulder. I took this into consideration and casually leaned back into him.

"Just trust me on this one, okay?" He turned slightly to gently rest his head on mine. "Have I ever steered you wrong?" I smiled slightly. He leaned over so that I could see his small, calm smile.

"No." He answered. "Alright, then…" He stood up straight and went back to his seat. "We'll leave tomorrow morning."

I couldn't help but grin in appreciation and took a bite out of my now cold toast.

--

That night at dinner, we told Mrs. Striggam the news. She apologized for Gordie's loss but was happy that we were going back for the service. Anna was sad we were leaving, but I assured her that I'd visit someday under better circumstances.

The next morning brought on a feeling of excitement I hadn't felt since going home from Washington in September. I hurriedly got up, got washed and dressed, and went downstairs with my bag to wait by the door. A few minutes later, me, Gordie, Mrs. Striggam, and a very sleepy Anna were off.

Gordie sat in the front, while Anna and I were in the back. Anna had fallen asleep and was resting on my lap while I looked out the window. Looking towards the front, I caught sight of Gordie in the car's rear-view mirror. He saw me and I flashed a quick smile. He smiled back and continued to look out the windshield. I also went back to looking outside. For once in the few months I've lived in the area, I realized just how beautiful it was.

About an hour or so later, we were back in Castle Rock. In retrospect, the two towns were actually not that far apart. The only reason it took so long to get there was because we were walking. She drove us through town and stopped at the cemetery. We got out with our bags and bid our farewells.

"Bye, Mrs. Striggam. Thanks so much for letting us stay with you and driving us back." I said, Gordie smiling and nodding his thanks.

"No problem kids. Now, I don't want to hear about you two running off again anytime soon, you hear? If you're going to visit, I rather it be with your parents' permission." We nodded and laughed, waving as she drove off.

We took deep breaths and turned, facing the small crowd of people that were standing in the middle of the field of graves around a coffin. Many, including our mothers, turned to look at us with wide eyes, recognizing us. I suddenly felt sick to my stomach, seeing Teddy, Vern, Chris, and Leena looking our way. I felt Gordie grab my hand and turned to see him smiling in reassurance. I smiled weakly back and took another deep breath to calm myself.

We dropped our bags where we were and started walking.

--

**A/N: Yeah, I know it's pretty short, but honestly, I've been experiencing a tad of writer's block lately. (I'm making this up as I go along, in case you haven't noticed yet) Anyways, thank you so much everyone who's been loyal to this story. I love and appreciate all of you so much. :) Please review. Stay tuned; the next chapter'll be here next Sunday.**


	22. Down the Rabbit Hole

**A/N: …Um, wow. A whole month already? Even after my update after getting so many reviews, only one review? Seriously? Could any of you even tell the difference between the date I posted my note and the day I actually updated? Well, my writer's block is slowly but surely disappearing, so I guess I'll just have to post this chapter and hope for the best.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging or related to Stephen King.**

**Claimer: I own this fan fiction and my OCs.**

**Chapter 21: Down the Rabbit Hole**

As we were walking, I noticed that everything suddenly began to blur and turn a grayish color. Puzzled, I looked to Gordie and found that he was fading away. I looked ahead of me and found that every person I saw was now fading as well.

What the hell was going on?

Suddenly, everything went black. I began to see flashes of different memories. They only stayed a moment before going to another scene. My old home, my accident, moving, meeting the boys, Angel's death, starting school, meeting Leena, Chris' birthday, Teddy's birthday, the car accident, and everything in between; all going by quicker than I could handle.

Something strange began to occur. As each memory flashed by, I was becoming unable to recognize the people and places. After that, I found that I did not remember any of the situations that were being shown to me.

Wait, what was my name again? What color is my hair? Where do I live? How old am I?

The scenes disappeared, and a bright light engulfed me.

--

The sound of quick beeping became louder and more distinct. Voices surrounded me, but I did not recognize any of them.

"She's not breathing!"

"Quick, somebody do CPR!"

"Why wasn't anybody watching her? She's not awake; how are we supposed to know if she's choking?"

"I think we got here just in time. Thank God her friends were here to check on her!"

I slowly felt a pressure on my chest; as if somebody was pressing down on it. I then felt air being forced into my lungs.

"Continue CPR, she's almost breathing!"

I felt it a few more times before I began to breathe on my own. I heard sighs of relief and congratulatory remarks made to someone named 'Alison'. I thought I heard a girl crying somewhere in the background.

"Hey, I think she's waking up!" One of the adults exclaimed.

Slowly but surely, my eyes began to open. I was almost blinded by the bright light flooding the room I was in, wherever that was. Everything came into focus, and I was greeted by the sight of doctors surrounding me, and a group of kids somewhere behind them.

"Hey, welcome back girlie!" A man, who couldn't have been older than twenty-five, said with a grin on his face.

"Are you feeling okay? Does anything hurt?" A much older man said, pointing a flashlight in my eyes. I moved my head to the side to avoid it and nodded slightly.

"Yeah…" I said, as clearly as my sore throat could muster. "I'm f-fine." My own voice seemed somewhat foreign to me. Have I always sounded like this?

He finally took the light away and was now using a stethoscope on me, telling me every now and then to take a deep breath. As I obeyed, I eyed the group standing at the back of the room carefully, trying to remember them. I found myself unable to, and became frightened. Who were these people? Why were they here? Can I trust them? I decided to be careful and stay away for now; until I could figure out who I was.

There was one boy; he seemed to be around twelve or thirteen, and he had these coke-bottle glasses that stuck out from the rest of the kids. He was wearing a black shirt, jeans, and had military dog tags around his neck. He was eyeing me worriedly, probably wondering what was going on. Something about him was tugging at my mind…Something important…

I turned back to the doctor when he was finished checking my breathing and heartbeat. He seemed satisfied and asked me a few simple questions, such as if I remembered my name, age, where I was, or what happened prior to some sort of car accident.

Unable to answer any of them, I simply shrugged and asked him if he could tell me who I was. He forced a small smile and scribbled some words on a clipboard. He checked to see if I had a fever, and upon finding my temperature was normal, he sadly sighed and walked out, writing more words down.

Confused, I looked to the group, who was still there along with two adults. They all looked afraid and overwhelmed, and the girl started to cry again.

"Miss Levantine?" It took a quick tap on my shoulder for me to realize the man was talking to me. Levantine? What a strange name. I certainly hope it's not my first name.

I turned to the man who had greeted me earlier. He smiled and put a comforting hand on my shoulder. He bent down so that he was my height and pointed to the group.

"Alright sweetie, just tell me…Do you know who any of these people are?" I looked once more to the group, who still seemed unsure and afraid, most of them sending me a nervous smile. I held my blank expression and turned back to the man.

"No. Do you know my name?" The group was shocked, the girl turning to the boy with glasses for comfort. I don't know why, but the action made me angry. My expression turned to mistrust and I tried to focus on the man.

"Do you know my name?" I asked once more, secretly desperate for answers. He nodded.

"You're Lily Levantine. You turned thirteen almost a week ago, and you live in Castle Rock, Oregon. These are your friends, and about a month ago you were in a big car accident. You took quite the fall, but you don't remember any of that, do you?" I shook my head, and he patted my head sadly, with the air of an older brother.

Satisfied with the information, I eased back into the hospital bed I found myself in and tried to relax. He checked a monitor that was measuring my pulse and walked out, flashing me another smile. I smiled ever so slightly back, wondering if he would be willing to stay with me and help me remember, and also wondering what the hell I was going to do now.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw movement, and turned to see that one of the boys was slowly walking towards me. Keeping my guard up, I gave him a quick look-over. He was scrawny, had brown hair and an honest face, and was wearing jeans and a light blue shirt. I somehow felt a connection between us, and wondering what it was, I heard him begin to speak.

"L-Lily?" He said quietly. I stared at him for a moment, trying to remember.

"Who are you?" I asked.

He didn't answer. Instead, he sighed and walked back, seemingly defeated. After a few moments, one by one, they walked out. At last, the scrawny boy who had tried to speak to me left, and I was alone. I leaned back and closed my eyes.

Why did I suddenly feel so lonely? It was as if there was a hole in my heart, and I need to find what was missing.

How exactly do I go about doing that?

--

**A/N: Uh, yeah…I suddenly felt like pulling a complete 'mind-fuck' with you guys. XD –shot- But seriously, I think it'll work out better this way, because as I look at the more recent chapters, I find them a bit unrealistic. So yeah, nothing from the time she got into the accident, to the time her and Gordie returned ever really happened. She was in the coma the whole time, and now she has amnesia. Oh no! XD Just wait to see what happens, because it's gonna get pretty dramatic as she tries to solve the mystery of her own life. Stay tuned and please review!**


	23. Reset

**A/N: **…-cough-…Um…Okay okay, I know what you're thinking…You're thinking 'Strawberry, where the_ fuck _where you and _why_ did you abandon your story?!'. Well, you certainly deserve an explanation, and here it comes. One, I didn't abandon 'All I Have'. The reason it's been on such a long hiatus was because I was beginning to tire of Stand By Me, and I stopped even so much as thinking of it so that I wouldn't get sick of it. Yes, it took me a while, but I think I'm about to go into another period of loving it. :] And two, well, I already answered it, but I've been alive and kicking, just very tired, sick, and stressed. I've recently begun having medical issues, so updates may be quite infrequent until I get everything settled. I'll try my best to get a couple more chapters written in the next month or so. So anyways, I hope you all had a great Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's without me. Onward to the first chapter of the decade we go!

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own The Body/Stand By Me. All credit goes to Stephen King, Rob Reiner, Etc. I am using the series for entertainment purposes only, and nothing more. Stephen King has full permission to stab me in the throat with a pen for butchering his creation if he wishes._

**Claimer: **_I own Lily, and any other character thrown in here that wasn't in the short story/movie already. I also own the plot of this particular fanfiction. Please do not use without permission, or it shall be I who does the throat-stabbing. If you see this story, the specific plot, or the characters on any other website/page/profile that I have not made you aware of, please do me the favor of letting me know. Thank you._

Chapter 21 - Reset

It had been a week since I woke up. Slowly but surely, I was regaining my lost memory. I could finally remember the accident that put me here, and small fragments of a young girl that never visited me or was spoken of. It was killing me not knowing who she was, because in each bit of memory, she seemed like someone who was close to my heart…I just couldn't remember why. Sometimes I wondered if she was just made up and all in my head - something to fill the void of my now empty life.

Every day, that one boy would come to visit me for a few minutes to see if I remembered him or any of the others. When I said I couldn't, he frowned and bid farewell, promising to visit again the next day. Every time, I wanted to tell him that he shouldn't bother, but I always stopped myself, secretly wishing I would remember him by the next day. I sighed and patiently sat in my hospital bed, waiting for him to visit me like every other day. When the usual time he stopped by came and past, I started to become agitated, drumming my fingers on my leg.

An hour past. Then another. Then another, and when he still didn't show, I was about ready to have a heart attack right then and there. My breathing became heavier, I drummed my fingers faster, and my eyes darted from my lap to the door every two seconds. If he didn't come soon, I was probably going to just get up and run out to look for him like some escaped lunatic. Finally I stopped glancing at the door and stared at my hands. Tears welled in my eyes, and I silently started to cry out of loneliness and frustration. I didn't hear someone step into the room.

"Lily?" My head snapped up at hearing my name and I saw who I was waiting for. My eyes widened. He looked at me worriedly, and took a step forward.

"A-Are you alright?" My eyes narrowed as tears continued to spill without my control.

"Where were you?! Do you have _any_ idea how worried I was?!" I shouted at him angrily. He jumped in surprise and ran over to stand next to me.

"Lily…do you remember me?" He asked. I continued to seethe.

"No, but…but…Ah, dammit!…Look…" I said, looking him in the eye. "You visit me _every_ day at the _same_ time. If you don't visit at the same time, how am I supposed to know if you're okay? How am I supposed to know if you just gave up on me?" I started to get less angry and more upset. He put a hand on my shoulder, which I shrugged off before looking away.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I was in the next town with my mom and we ran a little late. I didn't know it would make you this upset, I thought you didn't care." I glared at him.

"Yeah, well you were wrong. Now, what was your name again?" I demanded, beginning to calm down. He smiled softly.

"Gordie." I 'hm'ed in response.

"Well, Gordie, I get out tomorrow. You gonna help me remember or what?" His smile expanded, if that was even possible.

"You bet! What do you wanna start with?" I thought for a moment, gazing out the window with a frown.

"I keep remembering this girl…She's younger than us with dark hair…She seems like...an important person…" I faced him. "Who is she?" His smile quickly disappeared and he rubbed his arm, looking down.

"Well, uh…Lil, her name is Angeline…S-She was your sister." I raised an eyebrow.

"Was?" He looked at me with a sad expression.

"She died a few months ago." Something inside of me twisted into an uncomfortable knot. I looked down at my hands, trying to fully understand.

"Oh…I see." We were silent for a few moments before I looked up again.

"So what was I like before the accident?" I said, wanting desperately to change the subject. He seemed to understand.

"Well, you were sweet, caring…a really great friend." He said, smiling again. "You cared about everybody no matter what, and you were always trying to keep us safe from everything. You're like the mother of the gang." He laughed a bit, and I couldn't help but give a small smile in response.

"And what are everybody's names? What do each of them mean to me?" He tried to think of explanations for each of the boys and girl.

"Well, you and me are as close as can be; or at least that's what everyone says. Chris is tallest one, and he's our leader. You and him usually get along just fine. Vern's the small one, and he's like a little brother more than anything else. Teddy's the one with the glasses." My heart sped up when he was mentioned. "You and him get along fine. He likes to tease everyone a lot, though. And Leena's part of our group because she's Teddy's girlfriend. You two don't talk much, but you seem to like each other enough." He glanced at me, probably looking for some sort of reaction.

"Hn. Anyone else I should know about?" He sighed and shook his head.

"Not really. You just gotta look out for the Cobras. They're a bunch of real tough guys and they beat people up if they even look at them wrong." I grimaced as a small memory of seeing them torture a smaller boy came floating to the surface. We were silent for another minute.

"Hey Lil?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember…anything _else_ about Teddy?" He questioned carefully. I stared at him for a moment, trying to read his thoughts.

"He's really.._.important _to me, isn't he?" He half-smiled and nodded. I sighed.

"Well, what the hell am_ I_ supposed to do? Break him and the girl up? From what you've told me, I'm not that kind of person." He laughed half-heartedly and scuffed his sneaker on the floor.

"Nah, you're the nicest person I know. Before you're accident, you were trying real hard to just forget him and move on." I choked out a spiteful laugh.

"Yeah, well…easier said than done…" He nodded.

We remind quiet for the rest of his visit, enjoying the comfortable silence that loomed over us.

--

The next day was spent sitting in my room - which is unbelievably small, I'll have you know - going over my experiences when I moved here and everything that happened while I was asleep.

"Gordie." I said. He looked up at me.

"Whatever you do," I started, looking him in the eye. "You do _not_ tell the others that I'm beginning to remember things. I don't want any contact with them until I know for sure who they are."

He blinked at me, obviously a tad saddened that he couldn't share the good news with his friends. He perked up after a moment and gave me a small smile.

"Sure thing." I nodded and looked out the window.

"They're outside staring at my window." He looked over and sure enough, he saw the other four waving and motioning for him to meet them outside.

"Go, and remember your promise." I commanded. He nodded and waved.

"See you tomorrow, Lil." He walked out, and I silently watched the group through my window.

He approached the group and told them what I told him to. They were obviously disappointed by the news and I saw the one called Teddy look up at me. I quickly backed away and somehow, I felt myself tense up and a few tears start to drop onto my hands. I blinked and reached up to touch my face. I couldn't believe this…I was crying over a damn boy that I couldn't even remember!

Life just hates me, doesn't it?

--

A week later, I found myself back in school. There was a ton of work to catch up on, but nothing I couldn't handle. Really, call me crazy, but I have the feeling I've dealt with harder stuff. Maybe the school I went to before this one had harder work? Eh, who knows, but moving on…

When I first began going to school once more, many of my fellow students would often look at me with confused and intrigued expressions, whispering about me. Mostly, though, I was left alone and soon enough they moved on with their lives. A few were brave enough to approach me and wish me well, but nobody ever wanted to actually talk to me and see if I wanted to hang out with them. I guess no matter what, the social hierarchy still stands strong.

I sat alone at lunch, having instructed Gordie to keep pretending I didn't remember them and not sit with me to keep up the image. He reluctantly obeyed, but I would often catch him and the others staring at me, quickly turning when I threw them a small glare. Keeping them away from me was proving harder than I anticipated. Maybe I was more to them than I initially thought…Oh well, until I can completely remember them, I just have to stick to being alone.

That was easier said than done.

Almost all the time, I would find myself increasingly lonely and wanting to visit Gordie's house if only to just see him. I could barely push these urges down and it was killing me.

It was almost three weeks after I woke up when I started to remember. It started out very subtle, and I almost didn't realize it. I began to notice that whenever I would think of one of them, I would know something new about them that I couldn't remember knowing before. Take for example that Chris kid. Just yesterday I was talking with Gordie after school at my house the other day when this happened…

_"So Chris was telling me about his brother Eyeball, about how he and Ace were planning to gang up on-"_

_"No." I shook my head, not looking away from the window. "Ace and Eyeball skipped town about a month ago, didn't they?" Gordie became silent and I could almost feel him staring at me. I turned slightly when he didn't answer. I raised an eyebrow._

_"What?" He was still silent and staring at me, and a few seconds later I realized what I had just said._

_"Oh…"_

Needless to say, the rest of the afternoon was spent ignoring Gordie as he pestered me with questions of remembering anything else. But it was true, finally, slowly but surely, I was remembering my life. Now the only question remaining was what I wanted to do once I remembered enough to fit in with the group again. Strangely, I felt that no matter how much I remembered, that I would never be the same person. It was a thought that was so realistic and believable it scared me.

I quickly shook my mind from those thoughts and concentrated on the situation at hand. Currently, I walking down the street by myself to nowhere in particular, when I soon noticed two people up on the end of the block. Hearing what seemed to be an argument of sorts, I slowed down and ducked out of view to listen. It was a boy and girl.

"I-I don't understand…What are you...?"

"Teddy, it's…it's just not going to work out between us."

"Leena…why? Did I do something? What? What the hell did I do?"

"Teddy, you didn't do anything…it's just…I don't know…"

"Well there's gotta be _some_ reason why you're breaking up with me! Just tell me, please!"

Suddenly I understood. Teddy, the object of my mostly forgotten affection, and Leena, the only one who stood in my way, were finally breaking up. I thought for a moment that this was a good thing, that I should be happy…But instead I just felt terrible and sick to my stomach. I continued to listen in.

"Teddy…I know you like someone else." Another wave of nausea hit me. Hard.

"…What're you talking about?"

"You don't have to pretend, Teddy, I'm fine with it and I know she likes you too. Besides, she deserves you more than I do."

"Leena, no, come on!" I heard her begin to walk off and him follow. They stopped after a second, which I assumed was due to him stopping her. She sighed.

"Teddy…it's okay, really…I _understand_. It's alright. I think…I think this is what's best. Just trust me on this." There was a moment of silence before it was his turn to sigh.

"A-…Alright…Yeah, alright…" He said, as if to fully acknowledge it. "Yeah…"

"…If it's alright with you…I'd like it if we could still be friends." There was another moment of silence, and his next sentence assured me it was just him smiling and not turning away.

"Yeah…I'd like that too." I sighed inwardly. If they stopped being friends, I'd feel even _more_ bad about them breaking up.

"Alright well, I gotta get home now. I'll see you around?" She asked.

"Yeah, see ay." I heard her walk off, but not him. I stayed put in my spot, frozen and silent for a couple minutes.

"Lil I know you're there." My breathing stopped. I peaked out from the house I was hiding behind worriedly. He didn't seem mad, though. In fact, he threw me a quick smile.

"So what's been going on with you?" I walked over and shrugged.

"Nothing much." He nodded and we stood in silence. I noticed that there were more silent moments between me and the group more than ever.

"So I guess you heard all that, huh?" I blushed and nodded. He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed.

"Look…I…" He struggled for words. Out of nowhere, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"I like you." I clamped a hand over my mouth. What the hell was that?! He quickly turned to face me.

"W-What'd you say?"

"I-I….I…." He continued to stare in silence. Crap, I ruined our already shaky friendship with my stupid feelings! I'm so stupid! What the hell was I-

My train of thought was completely derailed as he pulled me in and pressed his lips against mine.

--

**A/N: **Happy Valentine's Day! -shot multiple times for leaving it in the middle of the climax- Well, I really wanted to post this as soon as possible and it _is_ Valentine's Day today/tomorrow. [It's past midnight over here, but I don't know what timezone this website is set on.] Once again I'm very sorry for going MIA for a few months, but for now, consider me back in the action!

Also, I want your opinions on this…do you think I'm going too fast? I plan to end this story pretty soon, and I just want to know around how many more chapters I should do. Also, when I say 'pretty soon', I'm counting by chapters, not the time between updates. It may take me a month or it may take me until September, who knows?

And after this story is done and packed away in the proverbial closet with the rest of my crappy fanfiction that should never see the light of a computer screen ever again, do you want me to continue the other SBM fic that I started back in like, October? Do you want more Lily? [God, I should hope not, she's such a Sue -.-] Do you want a different story altogether? Do you want me banned from this site permanently for my horrible writing skills? Tell me what you want!

Looking forward to hearing from you guys again!


	24. The Night Starts Here

**A/N:** There is a very long explanation of my absence at the end of this chapter. This is going to be the last actual chapter of this story, but I will be writing an epilogue to go along with this, just like I wrote a prologue. This is a very short chapter, but well, there isn't really anything else I can say except for Lily's life in the future, which of course will go in the epilogue. I hope you don't mind.

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own The Body/Stand By Me. All credit goes to Stephen King, Rob Reiner, Etc. I am using the series for entertainment purposes only, and nothing more. Stephen King has full permission to stab me in the throat with a pen for butchering his creation if he wishes._

**Claimer: **_I own Lily, and any other character thrown in here that wasn't in the short story/movie already. I also own the plot of this particular fanfiction. Please do not use without permission, or it shall be I who does the throat-stabbing. If you see this story, the specific plot, or the characters on any other website/page/profile that I have not made you aware of, please do me the favor of letting me know. Thank you._

Chapter 23 - The Night Starts Here

After a few moments, he pulled away from me and we stared at each other silently, not knowing what to do next. As if snapping out of a trance, we blinked and turned away, him kicking nonchalantly at the ground and rubbing his arm, while I opted for staring at said ground and tugging at my dress nervously.

"So uh…" I turned to him. He said nothing else for a minute before facing me again.

"Does this mean…?" My eyes shifted toward the ground again.

"I…guess so…I mean-!" I quickly looked at him.

"If…if you _want_ to…that is…" Another awkward and silent moment passed by before he gave a small smile and tentatively held out his hand.

"Yeah…yes…" I began to smile back as I reached with my own hand and met his.

The awkward silence turned into a happy silence as we stood there, smiling and holding each other's hands. Though I didn't want to, I noticed that the sun was going down quicker than I had anticipated.

"I have to go home now…" I looked at our hands and back at him, gesturing with my head in the direction of my house.

"Walk with me…?" He nodded, and with that, we turned and walked in the opposite direction of the sun. After arriving at my home, we stood in front of the door for a minute.

"So…see you tomorrow?" I nodded and smiled again.

"Definitely…See you."

He gave me another smile in return and turned to walk away. I turned as well and opened my door, stopping to stand in the doorway as something inside me seemed to click into place; as if a piece of the puzzle was found. My eyes widening and my heart beginning to race, I turned and ran to the middle of the driveway as he walked off.

"Teddy!" He turned, and the next second, I found myself practically jumping into him and crushing my lips against his. I felt him calm after the initial shock and his hands settle themselves to hold my sides.

Even after pulling away, we stayed glued together for a few more minutes, our foreheads pressed together as we stared at each other intensively.

"I remember you now." I said quietly.

"Good." He replied.

We stayed that way for a while; I'm not entirely sure how long. When we finally began to come back to the real world, we looked around and noticed that it was nightfall. Laughing at the sheer absurdity that we stayed in the same place for that long, we bid our final goodbyes and returned to our respective homes.

That night, I dreamt of my life up to this point.

Everything was so vivid, it was impossible to ignore or forget, and I could swear that I felt everything as if it was actually happening. When I woke up, I can barely describe how I felt other than saying that I felt 'changed'. I felt like a new person. Or perhaps, it was my old self I was feeling. Either way, I was happier than I could remember ever being. After preparing myself for the day and eating breakfast, I went out on a mission; a search for the ones that meant the most to me.

It wasn't hard; it seems that my memories had indeed returned to me, and as a result, I was able to find my way to the treehouse with no problems. I was able to recite the secret knock I had been taught what seems like an eternity ago. I was able to confidently look up at my friends and smile, recognizing each of their faces.

After briefly getting caught up in a few minutes of celebration for my return as a member of the group, we spent the entire day together, just being ourselves and having fun like we used to. It was so overwhelming, there were numerous instances where I caught myself about to cry. It just felt so good to be back here, with all of my friends; the ones that I loved more than anything else other than the sister that was torn away from me.

Nobody will ever be able to replace Angel. No, not in a million years. But until the day comes that I can meet her again, I am more than happy to spend the time with these people right here. By the time someone hears the story of my life in Castle Rock, I may be dead, but that doesn't matter to me. The only thing that matters right now is my life right now. I never want to be separated from them. I want our connection in thirty years to be just as strong as it is right now. Out of everything that I've ever wanted, I want to stay with my friends for the rest of my life.

Whoever you are, wherever you sit, and however you got to be here reading my story, I want you to have the same fortune of meeting the people that will stay with you forever. I want you to meet the person that was meant for you, and I want you to live out your life the best you can manage. I don't want you to give up, and I don't want you to hide your true colors. Don't ever give up, because there _is_ someone out there just for you. Whoever you are, reveal your true self and keep smiling through it all. Find yourself and find your true love.

That is my only wish.

**A/N: **…Christ, I can't even begin to describe how sorry I am that I haven't updated in…oh god, has it really been six months since I've touched this story? Wow, I really had no idea that it's been so long, and I truly apologize for that. Over the past few months since I last updated, many problems concerning my life at home have surfaced and caused me to relapse into depression, so I really wasn't in the writing mood at all. My grades began slipping, so I had to concentrate on that, and the stress from everything greatly altered me as a person for a while. Though I have since gotten onto the road to recovering from it, I'm not the same person I was when I left, but I'm trying my best to keep the writing style I used at the time I started writing this fanfiction.

Also, since I remembered this fanfiction and re-read it, I'm seriously considering re-writing it. I don't plan on deleting this one, but rather, uploading a '2.0 version'. Many things about the story would change, but only where I feel that it's absolutely necessary. The characters and set couples will stay the same, but I would alter Lily and her family to fit how I feel she should've been. What do you think? Should I go for it?

I've read the three or four reviews left in my absence, and all I have to say is that again, I'm sincerely sorry and I'm eternally grateful that all of you have been so loyal to this story. I, personally, don't think it's any good. In fact, I think it's garbage, but you all seem to like it, so that's why I kept writing it. You all are the reason that I keep writing. You all are the reason I keep pushing myself to do better. If it wasn't for you guys, I don't know where I'd be, so thank you. Thank you all for everything.

Anyway, I'm sorry if Lily's monologue at the end sounded corny, but it's completely true. Lily's one wish is mine as well, and i hope you take it to heart. Also, yes, when she mentions you, the audience, this is proof that the entire story has been a story that future-Lily is writing in response to future-Gordie writing his account on their hunt for Ray Brower. ;)


	25. Epilogue, And You'll Never Be the Same

**A/N:** The official author's note for this chapter shall be at the end.

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own The Body/Stand By Me. All credit goes to Stephen King, Rob Reiner, Etc. I am using the series for entertainment purposes only, and nothing more. Stephen King has full permission to stab me in the throat with a pen for butchering his creation if he wishes._

**Claimer: **_I own Lily, and any other character thrown in here that wasn't in the short story/movie already. I also own the plot of this particular fanfiction. Please do not use without permission, or it shall be I who does the throat-stabbing. If you see this story, the specific plot, or the characters on any other website/page/profile that I have not made you aware of, please do me the favor of letting me know. Thank you._

Chapter 24/Epilogue - And You'll Never Be the Same…

Teddy was mine from that day, all the way through to the end of high school.

The night before graduation day, we all met up at the bottom of the former site of the treehouse, which had been destroyed sometime between ninth grade and tenth. Not that we particularly minded; none of us could fit inside anymore, even if the treehouse had survived. Still, though, it was sad to see it go, and we grieved its loss for a while. Over the three or so years I had known it, I began to feel what the boys, who had it longer than I, felt about it; that it was 'our special place'. Each time I think about the treehouse, I get a feeling of happiness and gratitude that they had accepted me into their gang, and that they allowed the treehouse to become partly mine as well.

That night, we sat in a circle beneath the still-standing tree and talked about where we were going, what we were doing, and the like. As much as I hate to admit it, as we became older, we began to drift apart, and it was noticeable. It tore me to bits, but there was no denying that we were becoming adults, and as a result, had to start concentrating on other, more important things.

And as much as I hate to admit this, Teddy and I knew that as far as our relationship went, our end was near.

We still loved each other, don't get me wrong. It was a great few years together, and I was still positive that he would always be the only one for me, but we were going separate places. We would be far apart, and though we didn't like it, we both knew in our hearts that we couldn't make a relationship go through that and still be the same as it usually was. As our graduation grew near, we sat down and had a very long and serious conversation. In the end, we agreed that it was best to let each other go; and that was that.

There were tears, there was yelling, and there was an hour spent just holding each other, trying to convince ourselves that we didn't have to make this choice. It was clear that we still felt very strongly about each other, but we just didn't know how being miles away from each other would help us at all. Though we never exactly said this out loud, we both had a feeling that the distance would only make things go downhill. From 1959 to 1964 we were together, and you gotta admit, that's a damn long time to stay with one person. It wasn't easy, but we made it that far.

And so was the end of us.

I had become interested in writing, editing, and the like around a year after I moved into Castle Rock, after reading many of Gordie's amazing stories. After asking my help once on spell-checking a short-story, Gordie prompted me to try going into editing. Honing my spelling and grammar skills, editing Gordie's stories became my job, and I'll admit it, I absolutely adored it. Editing just seemed perfect for me after a while. Not only was I able to read great stories that were works of art in themselves, but I was also able to contribute in my own way. It felt nice being able to say, 'Hey, I edited that story you're reading!'. And I know, beginning a sentence with the word 'and' isn't technically grammatically correct, but when writing something in first-person, you tend to write how you talk.

Through practically working myself to death and perhaps a miracle, I was able to get into the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication with Gordie, though I had long since vowed to make editing my career rather than actual writing. We spent a lot of time together, being the only ones we had left to hang onto. Over the course of our time there, we cheered each other on while at the same time working our own tails off, watched the 'Daisy Girl' ad, observed Lyndon B. Johnson's presidency, silently mourned the assassination of Malcolm X, began listening to 'The Beatles', and overall, we just watched the world together. It helped me considerably, having him there to help me deal with the anxiety of being an adult out in the world. After we finished school, we decided to stay together for a while and went back to Castle Rock to see what had become of it in our time away.

Teddy, though at first not too keen on the idea of going to a college, worked toward getting into a school at my constant prodding. He of course tried for the army first, but they just wouldn't take him because of his eyes and ears. After relentlessly trying over and over, he eventually had to give up and later attending some engineering school and became a machinist. He got out of Castle Rock, but stayed in Oregon for one reason or another.

Chris, to the surprise and awe of everyone around him, did quite possibly the best out of all of us and attended law school. After finally becoming a lawyer and beginning to make a name for himself, he returned to Castle Rock, also curious to see it again. I didn't find this out until we met up with him, but apparently, while I was still in my coma, Gordie had indeed confessed to Chris. While at the time, Gordie was rejected, over the years, they had begun to grow closer, and the night of our graduation, he accepted his feelings. You can imagine my surprise when, when we first met up, after looking around and seeing nobody, Chris went right up to Gordie and kissed him. I stood there awkwardly, my mind going numb for a moment as I tried to process what just happened. After explaining their story, I smacked Gordie on the arm for not telling me sooner.

Vern, believe it or not, had acquired a girlfriend in our final two years of high school. Instead of going to college, he got married and began a family, later getting a job working a forklift and remaining in Castle Rock. Though I was sad that he didn't get out, I was struck with a warm feeling at seeing his very happy family. He seemed to have it all without even trying, and that thought had me smile and shake my head in disbelief.

Leena stayed true to her word and remained friends with us, strangely enough growing closer to me after I had technically stolen her boyfriend. As it turns out, she also had a crush on another boy and began dating him a couple days after she broke up with Teddy. It was still painful to be around her, but as time went on, that feeling was paved over with being happy for her. After graduation, they married and moved up into Washington. Last I heard, she had two kids, a girl and a boy, and her husband was a successful business man.

It was during the two weeks we spent back in Castle Rock that I began to wonder where my lost love was. Once that thought was in my head, it ate at me constantly. It got to the point that I couldn't go a few minutes without thinking of him. I would laugh and tear up at that; even after splitting up mutually and spending all this time away, he still owned my heart and mind. Each morning, I hoped that that was the day I'd see him again, and each night, I spent a few minutes outside wishing on stars that he'd be there the next day.

He never showed his face. Not once.

In my final days there, my father had given me a filled envelope, saying that he found it in the mailbox one morning a month earlier, obviously placed there instead of being sent through the mail. It was labeled 'To Lily, From Teddy' in Teddy's trademark messy handwriting. Too upset at that point to even look at his name, I shoved in into the bottom of one of my bags and forgot about it. He had been here when I wasn't; that pissed me off to no end.

When two weeks were up, we began to head out into the world again. Chris and Gordie were going to move in together and invited me to live with them since I couldn't find a house or apartment for myself. Happy to stay with them, though reluctant to intrude on their life together, I agreed after some prodding. For three years, we lived together in a small house peacefully, occasionally arguing over something stupid as all people do sometime or another.

After those three years went by, I came across the letter while I was organizing my room. I spent a good twenty minutes debating whether I should open it and if it was worth reading even if it held something I didn't like. My curiosity got the best of me, and I opened it. Inside was a piece of folded paper and another filled envelope. Opening the lone paper first, I read the note left to me.

_Hey Lil, it's Teddy, but you already knew that from the envelope._

_ Moving on from that, you're probably wondering why you got this, while I could've just looked you up and called. Well, the thing is, sometimes talking to a person, you can't really say exactly what you feel. You know what I mean? It's like, for some reason, even though we know what we want to say, we just can't get ourselves to really say it. Writing works better because you have a lot more time to put everything together, and you can start over if something doesn't come out right. That's something you just can't pull off with phone calls. I'm real sorry if it bugged you, me not just calling you already, but I just think that if I tried calling, I wouldn't be able to get everything out._

_ I think you already knew this, but even though we had to break up, I still loved you. I still do, even after all these years of you being at school. Speaking of that, that's really something, you getting into a good school. I'm real proud of you and I hope you did well from it. I hope you're still doing well, being a big important editor._

_ I tried getting in the army, but that didn't work out. I'm still pissed at that, and I always will be. Nothing you can do to change that. After I got rejected a bunch of times, I was pretty lost as to what I should do now. I ended up becoming a machinist, working the machines and building whatever crap the engineers send my way. It's pretty cool._

_ Getting to the point, I just wanted to write you this so that, even years and years from now, you can remember this. That's another thing you can't do with a phone call and another reason why letters are better._

_ I still love you, and I miss you. I miss you a whole lot, and it's been killing me. If it's alright with you, I'd really like it if we could give it another shot. I hope you get this soon and get back to me. My address is on the back of this paper. I guess I'll know if you reply or not. And I really hope this doesn't get lost or something. Anyway, you can open that other envelope now. It's just a little something to remind you of when we were together._

_ Love, Teddy._

Tears running down my face, I heavily regretted not reading this when I got it. Three years…I'm such an idiot; he probably thinks I don't wanna see him anymore! Sniffling and wiping my eyes with my hand to clear my vision, I tore open the second envelope, eager to see what was inside.

There were exactly five pages - each for a year we were together. All over these papers, both front and back, were the words 'I love you' repeated over and over.

Instead of smiling like I probably should've, I just cried harder. I cried and cried until I was a huge mess. Why didn't I read this sooner, dammit? I heard footsteps approaching quickly.

"Lily, I hear crying, are you-" Gordie stepped into view, his question cut short when he saw the source of the crying. He rushed over, sitting next to me and pulling me over.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?" I shook my head and pointed at the first envelope that read 'To Lily, From Teddy'. He seemed to understand and pulled me into a hug, patting my back.

"Shh, it's okay…" He comforted me for around ten minutes before I finally got myself together enough to speak properly. I turned to face him.

"Thanks." He nodded and gave me time to speak again if I needed to. After a moment, I did.

"I have to go find him." I stated seriously. "I have to find out." He nodded again. We sat in silence for a little while, understanding the gravity of this situation.

Days later, I found myself standing in front of a small house, letter clutched in hand and the car holding Gordie behind me. Chris was going to come, but he had a case to work on. Wishing each other luck, we set out. Gordie drove; ever since that accident, I was afraid of driving, and as a result, never bothered learning. I told Gordie to stay in the car. If things went badly, my plan was to just run back, jump into the car, and order Gordie to speed off; kind of like an action movie.

Shaking my head to get rid of that ridiculous thought, I looked up at the house again, this time determined. I gripped the letter tighter and shakily began walking up the small path cutting through the lawn and ending at the door. Taking a deep breath, I stood there staring at the door for a few moments before pushing my fears aside and lifting up my hand to knock. I uneasily remained glued to my spot while I waited for somebody to answer. A few seconds passed without answer, so I knocked again.

I waited some more. Ten seconds…thirty…a minute…a minute and a half…two minutes. Trying to keep myself together and hold back my tears, I turned and began walking away; it was obvious that nobody was going to answer.

That is, until I heard someone running and the door open quickly.

"Hello?" It was a woman's voice, and upon recognizing that, my heart shattered. I slowly turned.

It was a very pretty woman, who was relatively tall and slender, with beautiful wavy blonde hair and brown eyes. From her expression, I could tell that she was hopelessly confused as to why a strange woman on the verge of tears was standing in her yard. I cleared my throat.

"Yes, I'm very sorry to bother you, but, uh…" I kicked a pebble in front of my shoe. "Does a Mr. Teddy Duchamp live here, by any chance?" Her face turned into a calm smile.

"Yes he does, but he's out right now, Ms…"

"Levantine."

"Ms. Levantine. He should be back any minute now. Would you like to come in and wait?" She stepped to the side, acting out her offer. I gulped and nodded.

"Yes, yes that would be great. Thank you."

I turned a glanced at Gordie, giving him a hand signal for 'I'll be a minute'. He nodded and turned the engine off. Turning back to the house, I walked up to the woman, who was easily a few inches taller than me, and past her. Standing there while she closed the door, I looked at my surroundings. It was a modestly-decorated home that gave off a warm and cosy feeling. Next to me was a table with pictures in frames. Taking a closer look, I saw that one of them was a wedding photo. I instantly recognized the woman as the one who now stood next to me, smiling politely, but I could just barely recognize the man.

"Is that…?" I pointed at the man in the photo.

"That's Ted, my husband."

Those words echoed through my mind. Though I did everything I could to not show it outwardly, on the inside, everything inside of me lurched and threatened to attempt an escape. Instead of bursting into tears and running outside back to Gordie like I told myself I should, I remained and gave her a tight smile, blinking to keep the tears back.

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Duchamp." I held out a hand, and she took it gently, still smiling.

"And it's nice to meet you, Ms. Levantine." We let go and she turned, walking down the short hall that led to a kitchen.

"Come, let's sit in here while we wait for him." I reluctantly followed, my feet growing heavy with each step.

We sat a small table, across from each other. I nervously played with the hem of my jacket, while she opted for watching me silently. I blinked, looking up at her and placing my hands on the table. She suddenly shifted herself to sit up more straight.

"So, may I ask how you know Ted?" I was so nervous being here that I almost jumped at the sound of her smooth voice.

"Oh, of course. Well, when we were around twelve, I moved into Castle Rock. Teddy was one of my best friends right up to when we graduated. I haven't seen or heard from him since, so I just wanted to come and visit; see how he's faring." I nodded a bit, as if to tell myself that yes, this is what you came for, Lily. She grinned.

"Ah, so you were a part of the infamous Castle Rock group. Ted's told me about you all."

"Has he now?" I gave a slight laugh. "Well, it's nice to know he hasn't forgotten about us." She chuckled with me.

"Oh no, he still adores all of you."

Though I was devastated that in the three years it took me to get to reading that letter, he had moved on, I couldn't help but feel relieved at that. Instantly, it seemed, my feelings of dread began to disappear. After a few seconds, a thought popped into my head that I couldn't help but go with. I looked at the nearby clock and pretended to be shocked.

"Oh! Oh wow…I'm very sorry, but I almost forgot; I really need to be somewhere with a friend and I can't afford to be late." I stood up in a mock hurry, and she did the same.

"Oh, that's such a shame. He would've loved to see you." She looked truly disappointed, but I couldn't let myself stay. She smiled sadly.

"Maybe some other time, you can stop by? He doesn't work on weekends." She offered. I smiled and took a couple of steps toward the door.

"Yes, definitely. Thank you so much for letting me in, but I must be off."

"Alright." Seriously, this woman was all-smiles; it was almost scary. "We'll see you another time."

"Goodbye…" I opened the door, but turned for a moment. "Tell Teddy I said…tell him that I'm very happy for him." I said, a small smile on my lips.

"You can count on me." I nodded, accepting her answer, and walked out.

Walking over to the car and getting into the passenger side, I felt a tear slip past the barriers I forced on myself. We sat there in silence for a few seconds as Gordie looked at me, confused.

"Lil…?" I didn't turn and just stared into the distance.

"Let's go home." I said quietly.

After a moment of waiting me to say something else, Gordie silently turned back to his original position and started the car, pulling away from the house and driving off. Glancing at the rearview mirror, I saw another car pull into the house's driveway. I saw a man step out, look at our car, then turn to walk inside. Feeling my heart skip a beat, I tore my eyes away from him and looked at the road ahead of us, sighing.

I was too late.

Strangely enough, I felt no more pain. Instead, I thought of him and his happy wife, and was filled with a calm sensation I hadn't felt in quite some time. My mind was blank for a moment as I processed this, before I turned to face my friend and smiled. He smiled back, and we both turned back to the road, my eyes then drifting to watch the scenery pass us by in my window.

Later on, I met John Davis, a kind man who I eventually married. After I became pregnant, he was sent off to fight in Vietnam, where he died a little under a year later. I raised my daughter, Aleka, on my own, with help from Gordie and Chris.

Alas, tragedy struck again. In 1986, Chris was killed after trying to break up a fight between two men in a fast-food restaurant. Gordie, myself, and Aleka, twelve at the time, grieved together and eventually moved on to face the future.

It was a bright afternoon in 1989, and I was picking Aleka up from school. Standing outside and watching as all the teenagers were let out, I spotted her and a boy. Seeing them rather close, I took that as a sign that this was the boy she was talking about; the one that had asked her out two or three months ago and who she absolutely adored. Smiling at the sweet sight, I waved as Aleka turned and spotted me. She said her farewells and kissed the boy on the cheek and practically skipped toward me. I laughed and hugged her.

"You two are adorable." I lightly teased.

"Mom!" She laughed. We began the walk home, enjoying the warm spring weather. I randomly thought of something.

"What's his full name, anyway? I can't shake the feeling that he looks similar to someone I've met."

"Tim Duchamp."

I stopped in my tracks.

**A/N:** …Not exactly the best ending, but I really didn't think anything had to be added. X'D

Anyway, yes, this is officially the end at last. Almost two years later, here we are at the final chapter. As I've said before, I don't like this story, nor do I like Lily. However, I've always been more than willing to give you guys what you wanted, and you wanted me to continue. XD

Special thanks goes out to each and every one of you who read this fanfiction and stayed with me all this time. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart and soul. I love you all.

Also, as a final note, is anyone interested in the 2.0 version idea? Or do you want me to explore the other SBM fanfic I posted last October? Or do any of you have any suggestions as to what I should do next? Please get back to me guys.


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